MEMOIR 


OF 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 


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>/., 


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i=s _    - 


MEMOIR 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS; 


EXTRACTS    FROM    HIS    DIARIES    AND    LETTERS. 


an 


BY     THOMAS     G.     GARY. 


BOSTON: 

LITTLE,  BROWN  AND   COMPANY, 

112,  WASHINGTON  STREKT. 
1856. 


Entered,  according  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1856,  by 

THOMAS    G.    CARY, 
In  the  Clerk's  Office  of  the  District  Court  of  the  District  of  Massachusetts. 


BOSTON: 

PRINTED  BY  JOHN  WILSON  AND  SON, 
22,  SCHOOL  STREET. 


PREFATORY    NOTE. 


IN  this  volume,  the  Memoir  prepared  by  request  for  "  Hunt's 
Merchants'  Magazine  "  has  been  extended,  chiefly  by  addi 
tions,  made  at  the  suggestion  of  several  readers,  to  the 
extracts  from  diaries  and  letters  which  appeared  there,  some 
of  them  descriptive  of  the  manners  of  Asiatics,  and  of 
striking  occurrences  in  the  French  Revolution.  They  will 
be  found  to  have  the  interest  which  usually  accompanies  the 
statements  of  an  eye-witness,  while  they  casually  indicate 
the  character  and  habits  of  thought  of  the  writer. 


CONTENTS. 


Page. 

BIKTH  AND  PARENTAGE 2 

EDUCATION 8 

VISIT  TO  SOUTH  CAROLINA 9 

RESIDENCE  AT  ST.  DOMINOO 10 

MARRIAGE 11 

VOYAGE  TO  CANTON  IN  1789 11 

DESCRIPTION  OP  BATAVIA » 12-42 

TRADE  ON  THE  NORTH-WEST  COAST  OF  AMERICA  AND  IN  CHINA    .   43,  207 

VOYAGE  TO  FRANCE  IN  1794 45 

AUTOBIOGRAPHICAL  SKETCH  ADDRESSED  TO  HIS  CHILDREN,  53, 197,  207,  210 
EXECUTION  OF  FOUQUIER  TINVILLE  AND  FIFTEEN  OTHERS  ....  56,  107 
JOURNAL  OF  EVENTS  IN  PARIS,  IN  THE  SPRING  OF  1795  ....  57-114 
MARCHIONESS  LA  FAYETTE  —  ASSISTANCE  FOR  HER  SON  ....  58,  75 

LETTER  OF  THANKS  FROM  THE  MARQUIS 59 

JOURNEY  THROUGH  FRANCE  AND  HOLLAND 115-164 

ATROCIOUS  CRUELTY  OF  LEBON  AT  ARRAS 159,178 

RETURN  TO  PARIS 1G5 

TRIAL  AND  DEATH  OF  BOURBOTTE  AND  HIS  ASSOCIATES  ....  166-176 
VISIT  TO  ERMENONVILLE,  THE  LAST  RESIDENCE  OF  ROUSSEAU  .  .  .  180 

JOURNAL  IN  ENGLAND 185 

VISIT  TO  NEWGATE  —  MAJOR  SEMPLE 190 


4  CONTENTS. 

Paso. 

INVITATION  FROM  GEN.  WASHINGTON  —  VISIT  TO  MOUNT  VERNON  .    .     197 

PUBLIC  SERVICES,  MILITARY  AND  LEGISLATIVE 201-206 

VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE  AND  DETENTION  AT  MORLAIX  IN  1812    .    .     .     .    210 

LIBERATION  OF  A  CONSCRIPT  AT  MORLAIX 216,  and  Appendix. 

MISSION   TO   THE    GENERAL   GOVERNMENT   FROM  MASSACHUSETTS,  IN 

THE  WAR  OF  1812 219,  and  Appendix. 

AID   IN   ESTABLISHING   THE   MASSACHUSETTS    GENERAL   HOSPITAL  .      .      .      220 

DEATH  AND  CHARACTER  OF  JAMES  PERKINS,  ESQ 221 

BUILDING  OF  THE  FIRST  RAILROAD  IN  THE  UNITED  STATES   ....     222 
DONATION  FOR  THE  BLIND,  AND  PROGRESS  IN  THEIR  EDUCATION    .  223-229 

VOYAGE  TO  EUROPE  IN  1835,  AND  DIARY  THERE 229-238 

DISSOLUTION  OF  HIS  COMMERCIAL  FIRM 239 

GENERAL  CHARACTERISTICS 240-251 

DECEASE  OF  MRS.  PERKINS 255 

EXERTIONS  IN  AID  OF  THE  MONUMENT  TO  WASHINGTON 257 

FAILURE  OF  SIGHT 259 

OFFER  OF  AID  TO  THE  ATHENAEUM,  AND  BEQUEST  OF  SAMUEL  APPLE- 
TON,  ESQ 260 

DECEASE 262 

LETTER  OF  DANIEL  WEBSTER 263 

PROCEEDINGS  OF  THE  MERCHANTS  or  BOSTON 264 

INTERMENT 268 


APPENDIX 271 


MEMOIR. 


THOMAS  HANDASYD  PERKINS  was  born  in  Boston, 
Dec.  15,  1764,  and  named  for  his  maternal  grand 
father,  Thomas  Handasyd  Peck,  who  dealt  largely 
in  furs  and  the  importation  of  hats.  His  father  was 
a  merchant,  who  died  in  middle  age,  leaving  eight 
children,  —  three  sons  and  five  daughters,  —  most  of 
them  very  young,  to  the  sole  care  of  their  mother. 
She  was  a  woman  of  excellent  principles  and  re 
markable  energy,  and  undertook  the  heavy  charge 
thus  devolved  upon  her  with  deep  solicitude  (as 
appeared  from  a  subsequent  reference  of  her  own 
to  this  passage  of  her  life),  but  with  firmness  and 
ability ;  courageously  assuming  the  business  of  her 
husband,  who  had  been  connected  with  George 
Erving,  one  of  the  principal  merchants  in  the  town. 
Letters  from  Holland  are  remembered  which  were 
addressed  to  her  as  Mr.  Elizabeth  Perkins ;  and 
when  her  eldest  son,  having  attained  the  age  of 
manhood,  went  some  years  afterwards  to  the  Island 


MEMOIR    OF 


of  St.  Domingo,  where  he  established  himself,  he 
sailed  from  Boston  in  a  ship,  the  "  Beaver,"  of  which 
his  mother  was  part  owner,  and  which  had  been 
chartered  to  the  French  government  to  transport 
part  of  their  cavalry  to  Cape  Francois. 

This  estimable  lady  discharged  her  duties  success 
fully,  rearing  her  children  with  such  advantages  as 
fitted  them  for  stations  of  responsibility,  which  they 
afterwards  filled  with  credit  to  themselves  and  to  her ; 
and  at  the  same  time  taking  an  active  part  herself 
with  the  charitable  associations  of  the  town,  which  is 
shown  by  acknowledgments  found  among  her  papers, 
and  in  records  of  her  services^  as  treasurer  and  other 
wise,  from  those  with  whom  she  acted. 

On  her  decease,  in  1807,  it  was  voted  "  that  the 
officers  of  the  Boston  Female  Asylum  Wear  a  badge 
of  mourning  for  the  term  of  seventy-one  days  "  (corre 
sponding  probably  to  the  years  of  her  life),  "  in  token 
of  their  high  consideration  and  respect  for  the  virtues 
of  the  deceased,  and  of  their  grateful  and  affectionate 
sense  of  her  liberal  and  essential  patronage  as  a 
founder  and  friend  of  the  institution."  She  is  still 
remembered  by  a  few  gentlemen,  sons  of  her  former 
neighbors  and  associates,  as  an  excellent  friend,  of 
active  benevolence,  and  as  a  lady  of  dignified,*  but 
frank  and  cordial,  manners. 

Numerous  descendants  of  hers,  under  various 
names,  now  move  in  different  walks  of  life  in  the 
United  States,  in  Europe,  and  Asia;  and  not  a  few 
of  them  are  distinguished  for  prosperity  and  the  wise 
use  of  wealth,  and  for  intelligence  and  refinement,  as 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  i 

well  as  for  the  sound  principles  which  she  inculcated 
on  all. 

The  success  of  several  of  the  branches  of  her 
family  was  essentially  promoted  by  the  energy  and 
warm-hearted  sympathy  of  the  subject  of  this  me 
moir,  who  was  the  second  son,  only  six  years  of  age 
at  the  death  of  his  father  in  1771.  The  life  of  one 
like  him,  who,  with  only  such  advantages  as  are 
within  the  reach  of  many  young  men,  acquired  great 
power  to  influence  others,  and,  using  it  wisely,  left 
the  world,  within  his  sphere  of  action,  better  for  his 
existence,  affords  a  useful  example. 

His  father  lived  in  King  Street,  now  State  Street, 
where  the  conflict  took  place  between  the  citizens 
and  the  troops,  called  afterwards  the  "  Boston  Mas 
sacre  ;  "  and,  though  he  was  little  more  than  five 
years  old  at  that  time,  the  sight  of  the  dead  bodies 
and  of  the  blood,  frozen  the  next  day  on  the  street, 
made  an  impression  on  his  mind  that  was  never 
obliterated.  The  troops  being  quartered  near  there, 
many  of  the  officers  were  afterwards  visitors  in  his 
mother's  family. 

At  about  seven  years  of  age,  he  was  put  under  the 
care  of  a  clergyman  of  great  respectability,  at  Middle- 
borough,  about  thirty  miles  from  Boston,  and  was 
afterwards  at  school  in  Boston,  until,  intercourse  with 
the  country  being  stopped,  his  mother  retired  with  her 
family  to  Barnstable,  where  she  resided  till  the  town 
was  evacuated  by  the  enemy.  His  grandfather,  Mr. 
Peck,  remained  in  Boston  through  the  siege,  but  was 
nigh  being  sent  home  to  be  tried  as  a  rebel  for  free 
dom  of  speech. 


MEMOIR    OF 


While  living  with  his  mother  at  Barnstable,  both 
his  legs  were  broken,  by  an  unlucky  accident,  as  he 
was  returning  from  an  excursion  in  the  woods ;  and 
though  the  limbs  were  well  set,  and  he  soon  recovered 
the  use  of  them,  he  occasionally  felt  the  effect  of  the 
injury  when  the  weather  was  bad,  even  in  advanced 
age.  There,  too,  he  formed  an  early  and  close  friend 
ship,  that  remained  unbroken  for  nearly  eighty  years, 
until  terminated  by  death,  with  one  of  his  companions, 
whom  he  had  saved  from  drowning,  —  the  late  distin 
guished  lawyer  and  statesman,  Harrison  Gray  Otis, 
nephew  of  the  revolutionary  patriot. 

Some  time  after  the  return  of  the  family  to  town, 
his  mother  decided  on  giving  him  a  collegiate  educa 
tion  ;  and  he  was  sent,  with  other  boys  from  Boston, 
—  one  of  whom  was  the  Hon.  John  Welles,  now  the 
oldest  living  graduate  of  Harvard,  — -  to  an  instructor 
at  Hingham,  the  Rev.  Mr.  Shute,  noted  for  his  success 
in  preparing  lads  for  college.  After  residing  there 
three  years,  and  being  prepared  for  Cambridge,  he 
was  so  reluctant  to  enter  college,  that  it  was  decided 
that  he  should  go  into  a  counting-house.  He  was 
strongly  inclined  by  temperament  to  active  life. 
Vigorous  and  bold,  with  a  frame  peculiarly  fitted 
for  endurance,  which  was  afterwards  developed  in 
fine  proportions  for  strength  and  beauty  in  manhood, 
he  saw  less  to  attract  him  in  the  life  of  a  student 
than  in  one  of  enterprise,  where  he  might  indulge  a 
love  of  adventure,  and  exercise  the  courage,  equal  to 
almost  every  emergency,  which  characterized  him. 
He  was  placed  with  Messrs.  Shattuck,  then  among  the 


THOMAS   HANDASYD   PERKINS.  9 

most    active    merchants   in   Boston,  with  whom  he 
remained  until  he  was  twenty-one.* 

On  leaving  the  Messrs.  Shattuck,  in  1785,  not  being 
well,  he  was  advised  to  pass  the  winter  in  a  warm 
climate;  and  visited  his  elder  brother,  Mr.  James 
Perkins,  in  St.  Domingo.  He  then  went  to  Charles 
ton,  S.C. ;  and,  in  some  memoranda  made  for  his 
children  within  a  few  years  past,  he  refers  to  this 
visit  to  South  Carolina  in  the  following  terms  :  — 

"  As  I  had  taken  letters  of  introduction  to  some  of 
the  most  distinguished  inhabitants  of  Charleston  from 
Gen.  Lincoln  and  Gen.  Knox,  —  the  former  of  whom 
was  the  defender  of  Charleston  during  the  war  of  the 
Revolution,  and  was  a  great  favorite,  —  it  gave  me 
pleasant  introduction  into  the  best  society  under  most 
favorable  circumstances.  As  the  inhabitants  who  have 
large  plantations  spend  as  much  of  their  time  on  them 
as  the  climate  will  allow,  I  was  an  inmate  in  several 

*  Long  afterwards,  he  recurred  to  this  decision  with  regret  for  having  relinquished  such  a 
privilege,  and  in  advanced  age  repeatedly  said,  that,  other  things  being  equal  (which  condition 
he  repeated  emphatically),  he  should  prefer  for  commercial  pursuits  those  who  had  received 
the  most  complete  education.  In  this  opinion  he  seeems  to  have  coincided  with  another  expe 
rienced  merchant,  who  once  gave  it  as  the  result  of  his  observation  in  a  long  life,  that,  as 
a  general  rule,  applied  to  the  whole  class  of  commercial  men,  of  whom  it  is  well  known  that  a 
considerable  proportion  fail,  those  had  succeeded  best  who  were  the  best  educated.  It  derives 
confirmation,  too,  from  a  fact  generally  noticed,  both  here  and  in  Europe,  by  those  who  know 
what  goes  on  in  the  public  schools  where  lads  are  prepared  by  different  courses  of  study  re 
spectively,  either  for  college  or  for  mercantile  life,  as  their  friends  prefer:  those  who  are 
engaged  in  classical  studies  for  most  of  the  week,  and  give  but  a  small  portion  of  it  to  other 
pursuits,  are  generally  found  to  be  well  up,  in  arithmetic,  geography,  &c.,  with  those  who  bestow 
their  whole  time  on  such  branches. 

Without  underrating  the  importance  of  a  habit  of  attention  to  detail,  or  the  knowledge  of 
minute  affairs  and  the  qualities  of  merchandise,  which  may  be  acquired  by  early  apprentice 
ship,  it  is  to  be  remembered  that  men  of  high  culture,  who  mean  to  effect  what  they  attempt, 
show  great  aptitude  for  the  minutiae,  as  well  as  for  the  general  scope,  of  any  new  business 
which  they  undertake,  and  that  intellect  well  disciplined  has  considerable  advantages  in  com 
parison  with  routine. 

2 


10  MEMOIR   OF 

of  their  families,  but  passed  the  principal  part  of  the 
time  at  the  plantation  of  Mr.  Thomas  Ferguson,  who 
had  several  rice  plantations,  upon  which  he  numbered 
upwards  of  eight  hundred  slaves.  The  plantations 
were  at  a  place  called  Pon  Pon  ;  and  in  the  vicinity 
was  Gen.  William  Washington,  who  was  a  nephew  of 
President  Washington,  and  during  the  war  command 
ed  a  regiment  of  cavalry.  He  gained  a  high  reputa 
tion  as  a  soldier,  and  was  an  accomplished  gentleman. 
There  was  fine  sport  with  the  gun ;  geese,  duck,  teal, 
&c.,  being  in  great  abundance.  Every  Saturday  the 
gentlemen  of  the  neighborhood  met  at  a  hunting- 
stand  in  a  favorite  spot  for  deer,  hunted  in  the  morn 
ing,  and  made  good  cheer  after  the  chase,  —  dining 
in  the  woods,  and,  in  case  of  not  having  success  in 
hunting,  always  securing  a  succedaneum,  in  the 
form  of  ham,  chickens,  and  other  '  creature  comforts.' 
The  Saturdays  were  real  red-letter  days ;  and  I  could 
name  twenty  who  were  in  the  habit  of  meeting  on 
such  occasions,  all  of  whom  have  long  since  retired 
behind  the  scenes." 

He  soon  afterwards  accepted  an  invitation  to  join 
his  brother  in  St.  Domingo,  and  they  formed  a  house 
there  which  was  very  successful ;  but,  finding  that  the 
climate  did  not  agree  with  his  health,  he  returned  to 
Boston,  and  for  some  time  attended  to  the  business  of 
the  house  in  the  United  States,  where  their  correspond 
ence  was  extensive,  —  his  younger  brother,  the  late 
Samuel  G.  Perkins,  Esq.,  filling  his  place  in  the  firm. 

In    1788   he   was    married    to   Miss   Elliot,    only 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS.  11 

daughter  of  Simon  Elliot,  Esq.  It  was  a  union  en 
tirely  of  affection,  and  lasted  for  more  than  sixty 
years.  His  married  life  was  commenced  with  neces 
sity  for  strict  economy ;  but  the  connection  probably 
gave  an  important  bias  to  his  commercial  career,  as 
it  led  to  intimacy  with  Capt.  James  Magee,  a  relative 
of  Mrs.  Perkins,  who  had  made  one  voyage  to  Canton. 
He  soon  turned  his  attention  to  trade  with  China ;  and 
sailed  from  Boston,  in  February,  1789,  as  supercargo  of 
the  ship  "  Astraea,"  belonging  to  E.  H.  Derby,  Esq.,  of 
Salem,  bound  to  Batavia  and  Canton,  and  commanded 
by  Capt.  Magee.  Difficulties  were  encountered,  and 
inconveniences  were  necessarily  submitted  to  then 
which  are  avoided  now.  The  ship  was  not  coppered ; 
and,  her  bottom  becoming  foul,  they  made  a  long 
passage  to  Batavia.  Being  in  want  of  water  before 
arriving  there,  they  stopped  at  Mew  Island,  at  the 
mouth  of  the  Straits  of  Sunda,  for  a  supply.  Refer 
ring  to  the  voyage  and  this  incident  in  some  memo 
randa  made  for  his  children  many  years  afterwards,  he 
says,  — 

"  The  casks  in  which  a  part  of  our  water  was  con 
tained  had  been  used  in  bringing  coffee  from  the  Cape 
of  Good  Hope ;  and  although  burned  out,  and,  as  was 
supposed,  purified,  yet  the  water  put  in  them  was 
most  disgusting.  The  waters  from  the  cascade  on  the 
Java  shore  were,  of  course,  duly  appreciated.  We 
remained  in  this  beautiful  bay  several  days.  There 
were,  at  the  time  I  speak  of  (now  fifty-seven  years 
since),  no  inhabitants  on  this  part  of  Java.  I  went 


MEMOIR    OF 


on  shore  every  day,  and  in  one  of  my  excursions 
climbed  the  precipice  over  which  the  cascade  flowed, 
to  examine  its  source  ;  and,  from  what  we  learned  on 
reaching  Batavia,  we  were  led  to  believe  that  we  had 
run  great  hazard,  as  more  than  one  instance  had 
occurred  of  persons  visiting  the  same  spot  having  been 
destroyed  by  tigers  who  were  slaking  their  thirst  in 
this  beautiful  stream.  Bats  of  great  size  were  seen 
crossing  the  narrow  strait  which  divides  Mew  Island 
from  Java,  and  returning  towards  the  close  of  day  to 
their  roosts  on  the  Java  side. 

"  I  remember  as  if  it  were  yesterday  the  fright  I 
had  in  crossing  a  creek,  the  bottom  of  which  was 
hard,  about  knee-deep,  and  but  a  few  yards  wide.  My 
crossing  alarmed  half  a  dozen  or  more  young  croco 
diles  or  alligators,  which  were  farther  up  the  stream 
than  where  I  was  crossing  ;  and  they  came  down  upon 
us  with  a  celerity  which  was  inconceivable.  Neither 
of  them  touched  either  my  servant  or  myself;  and  I 
have  no  doubt  they  were  quite  as  much  alarmed  as 
we  were. 

"  No  boats  or  vessels  of  any  kind  came  into  the  bay 
while  we  lay  there.  Prince's  Island  was  in  sight  ; 
but  the  inhabitants,  who  had  a  bad  name,  were  other 
wise  engaged,  and  we  met  nothing  to  alarm  us.  The 
pirates  from  Sumatra  and  the  Eastern  Islands  made 
frequent  attacks  upon  vessels  in  those  days,  even  so 
far  to  the  west  as  the  Straits  of  Sunda  ;  though  their 
depredations  were  more  confined  to  Banca  Straits  and 
the  more  eastern  archipelago." 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS.  13 

That  part  of  Java  remains  uninhabited  now,  as  it 
was  at  the  time  which  he  thus  referred  to,  and  both 
tigers  and  anacondas  abound  there.  Quite  recently,  a 
botanist,  engaged  in  making  collections  for  a  British 
nobleman,  having  crossed  from  Mew  Island  to  the 
Java  shore,  his  dog  sprang  from  the  boat  as  it  touched 
land,  and,  dashing  into  the  woods,  was  immediately 
seized  by  a  tiger,  as  his  master  doubtless  would  have 
been  if  he  had  entered  the  thicket  first.  The  enor 
mous  bats  here  mentioned  are  well  known  to  natural 
ists.  It  is  said  that  coal  has  now  been  discovered  in 
that  vicinity,  which  may  lead  to  some  settlement  there. 

They  were  among  the  earliest  visitors  at  Batavia 
from  this  country,  and  he  was  treated  with  great  civility 
by  the  governor-general  and  others  in  authority,  but 
found  some  difficulty  in  obtaining  permission  to  dis 
pose  of  the  cargo  intended  for  that  place.  He  kept 
a  journal  while  there;  and  the  following  extracts 
from  it  exhibit  some  obstructions  in  business  and 
deference  to  authority  from  which  foreigners  are  now 
relieved :  — 

"  July  13,  1789.  — At  five  o'clock  anchored  in  three 
fathoms  water  in  the  harbor  of  Batavia,  where  we  saw 
Capt.  Webb's  brig.  At  seven  the  captain  came  on 
board,  and  gave  us  the  most  melancholy  account  of  the 
state  of  affairs  at  the  place,  —  of  the  prohibition  and 
restrictions  on  trade,  and  every  thing  else  which  could 
serve  to  give  us  the  dumps. 

"  14th.  —  At  eight  in  the  morning,  took  Capt. 
Webb  in  our  boat,  and  went  on  shore.  The  entrance 


14  MEMOIR   OF 

of  the  canal  through  which  we  pass  is  about  half  a 
mile  from  the  ship.  The  appearance  in  the  harbor 
beautiful.  Canals,  which  cross  each  other  at  right 
angles  through  the  city,  are  about  forty  or  fifty  feet 
wide.  The  water,  which  is  always  very  dirty,  must 
be  unhealthy ;  they  are  continually  filled  with  boats, 
which  carry  up  and  down  cargoes. 

"  The  variety  of  nations,  which  are  easily  to  be 
known  by  their  different  countenances,  astonishing. 
Great  numbers  of  Chinese.  Stopped  at  the  custom 
house,  where  the  names  of  the  captain  and  myself 
were  taken,  and  other  minutes  respecting  our  passage, 
&c.  As  the  canal  is  difficult  to  pass  after  getting  to 
this  place,  which  is  about  a  mile  and  a  half  from 
shore,  and  through  the  centre  of  the  town,  we  took  a 
coach,  which  was  provided  us  by  the  scribe  who  ques 
tioned  us,  and  with  whom  I  rode  to  the  Shabendar's. 
Received  with  civility  by  him,  but  discouraged  from 
expecting  permission  to  sell.  Represented  our  situa 
tion,  the  encouragement  we  had  ever  met  with,  &c. 
He  told  us  he  would  do  every  thing  in  his  power  to 
serve  us,  but  feared  we  should  not  succeed. 

"  Was  conducted  to  the  hotel,  where  all  strangers 
are  obliged  to  put  up.  Found  Blanchard,  who  speaks 
of  his  prospects  as  distressing.  Had  been  here  a 
week,  and  done  nothing  but  petition. 

"According  to  common  custom,  presented  a  petition 
through  the  Shabendar  for  permission  to  sell.  Waited 
upon  the  director-general,  for  whom  we  had  a  letter 

from  Mr.  L ,  his  nephew.  His  house  a  palace. 

He  received  us,  Dutchman-like,  in  his  shirt-sleeves, 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS.  15 

and  his  stockings  half  down  his  legs;  took  our  ad 
dress,  and  told  us  we  should  hear  from  him  again ; 
think  he  will  be  of  service  to  us.  Made  other  ac 
quaintances  through  my  knowledge  of  French,  and 
endeavored  to  make  some  friends.  To-morrow  the 
council  sit,  when  our  fate  is  to  be  known. 

"  This  evening  the  British  ship  '  Vansittart '  arrived ; 
and  the  captain,  whose  name  is  Wilson,  with  his 
second-mate,  purser,  and  doctor,  came  on  shore.  Was 
very  happy  to  find  the  doctor  to  be  the  gentleman 
for  whom  I  had  a  letter,  and  whom  I  supposed  to 
have  been  in  the  '  Pitt,'  Indiaman :  he  seems  to  merit 
all  which  has  been  said  to  me  of  him.  Feel  myself 
drawn  towards  him  more  from  his  being  a  countryman 
than  perhaps  from  any  other  circumstance,  on  so  short 
an  acquaintance. 

"  Thursday,  15th.  —  Anxious  for  the  reception  the 
petition  may  meet.  At  ten  o'clock,  Capt.  Wilson  and 
I  went  with  the  Shabendar,  with  our  petitions,  to  the 
council-chamber.  After  walking  the  hall  a  long  time, 
and  being  witness  to  a  great  deal  of  pompous  parade, 
was  introduced  to  the  council-chamber,  where  the 
members,  who  are  eight  in  number,  were  seated  round 
a  large  table  covered  with  silk  velvet,  with  the  govern 
or-general  as  president.  I  made  my  respects  and  pre 
sented  my  petition,  and  then  left  them,  to  take  another 
stroll  in  the  hall,  till  the  Shabendar,  upon  the  ringing 
of  a  bell,  once  more  introduced  us  to  the  great  cham 
ber,  when  Capt.  Wilson  had  liberty  to  land  his  articles ; 
but  we,  poor,  despised  devils,  were  absolutely  denied 
the  liberty  of  selling  a  farthing's  worth.  Whatever 


16  MEMOIR    OF 

I  thought  of  the  partiality,  I  very  respectfully  took 
my  leave,  but  determined  to  persevere ;  and,  after 
much  difficulty,  got  leave  to  renew  our  petitions. 

"16th. — Received  an  invitation  to  sup  with  the 
director,  where  we  were  superbly  entertained,  and  met 
much  company.  Many  speak  French;  represented 
our  situation;  music  at  supper. 

"Friday,  17th. — Nothing  to  be  done  until  Mon 
day,  when  the  council  meet  again.  It  is  supposed  we 
shall  not  have  our  future  petition  acceded  to.  Mak 
ing  interest. 

"Sunday,  19th.  —  Dined  with  the  governor,  and 
received  civility.  An  elegant  place ;  the  area,  where 
we  dined,  superb,  and  the  prospect  round  it  not  to 
be  exceeded.  Passed  the  evening,  by  invitation,  at 
the  director's,  where  were  all  the  Council  of  Eight, 
the  governor,  the  old  director-general,  and  other 
grandees.  More  parade  than  before.  Played  cards. 
Custom  of  washing  before  and  after  dinner ;  the  im 
provement  in  luxury ;  washing  in  rose-water ;  supper 
elegant,  —  superbly  so  ;  huzzaing,  and  the  return 
from  the  owner  of  the  house  after  any  compliment 
ary  toast. 

"I  wrote  a  petition  in  behalf  of  Blanchard  and 
myself,  and  had  it  translated  into  Dutch. 

"Monday,  20th.  —  Dined  with  the  Fiscal,  who 
treated  us  with  good  fare ;  the  British  officers  there, 
and  many  persons  of  consequence. 

"Tuesday,  21st.  —  Supped  with  one  of  the  Edel- 
heeren ;  every  thing  in  superb  style ;  same  company 
as  before ;  the  governor  there ;  he  does  not  honor 


THOMAS    HANDASYD   PERKINS.  17 

them  more  than  once  a  year  with  his  visits.  Twenty 
ladies  at  table ;  their  dress,  manner,  style  of  putting 
up  the  hair;  sitting  by  themselves;  toasts,  huzzas, 
bouquets,  rose-water ;  superfluity  of  every  thing  which 
Europe  and  the  Indies  can  give. 
"  Gained  permission  to  sell." 

This  restriction  on  sales  by  foreigners  has  been 
removed  since  that  time,  and  it  is  not  necessary  to 
wait  for  any  such  permission  now.  But  at  that  time 
the  United  States  of  America  were  little  known  or 
regarded  in  that  distant  part  of  the  world;  and  it  is 
easy  to  see  that  the  final  success  which  the  young 
merchant  thus  attained  with  the  despotic  authorities 
of  Batavia,  who  had  pointedly  and  formally  refused 
his  application  in  the  outset,  is  fairly  attributable  to 
personal  qualities  which  distinguished  him  even  at 
that  early  period,  and  were  characteristic  through 
life.  Few  men  could  exert  a  greater  influence  over 
others  with  whom  he  had  an  important  point  to 
carry. 

His  notes  on  various  subjects,  in  the  same  diary, 
show  careful  and  general  observation :  — 

"  It  is  death  to  take  spices ;  and  an  acknowledg 
ment  of  having  received  notice  of  this  is  required,  so 
that  one  cannot  plead  ignorance.  The  Chinese  racked 
on  the  wheel  for  running  spices ;  yet  any  of  them  will 
do  it,  bringing  them  to  one's  chamber  in  small  quanti 
ties  of  twenty  or  thirty  pounds.  The  Chinese  are  the 
principal  husbandmen.  All  the  Eastern  nations  are 

3 


18  MEMOIR   OF 

represented  here  in  greater  or  less  numbers,  —  Arme 
nians,  Moormen,  &c.  Murders  frequent;  Malays  re 
vengeful  and  cowardly,  taking  every  advantage  of 
situation,  fearing  to  attack  a  man  openly,  and  even 
afraid  to  hold  a  pistol.  Gates  of  the  city ;  strict 
regulations  respecting  the  going  out  and  coming  in  at 
them ;  four  gates ;  walled  all  round ;  kept  in  good 
repair.  Regularity  of  the  trees.  Chinese  live  in  the 
suburbs,  and  obliged  to  be  out  of  the  walls  before 
night. 

"  Every  night,  at  a  quarter-past  ten  o'clock,  these 
gates  are  shut,  and  opened  again  at  about  four  in  the 
morning,  when  the  Chinamen  enter  in  great  numbers 
with  their  greens,  &c.,  to  procure  a  good  place  in  the 
market.  An  Edelheer  —  of  whom  I  shall  speak  here 
after  —  has  the  exclusive  privilege  of  passing  and  re- 
passing  these  gates  at  what  hour  of  the  twenty-four  he 
pleases;  and  the  governor-general,  who  entertains  com 
pany  every  Sunday  night,  sends  orders  to  the  officers 
on  guard  to  have  the  gates  kept  open  until  eleven,  for 
the  accommodation  of  his  company. 

"  There  are  particular  gates  at  which  you  pass  out 
in  a  carriage,  and  others  appointed  for  entering  the 
city,  to  avoid  the  frequent  encounters  which  must 
necessarily  arise  were  there  no  regulation  of  this 
kind.  An  Edelheer  has,  however,  the  privilege  to 
pass  at  whichever  he  pleases ;  and  his  approach  is 
announced  by  the  sentinels  at  the  gates,  in  order  to 
stop  other  carriages  from  attempting  the  passage  at 
the  time. 

"  The  houses,  in  general,  at  Batavia  are  of  brick, 


THOMAS   HAND  AS  YD   PERKINS.  19 

with  a  degree  of  neatness  about  them,  but  nothing  of 
elegance.  They  all  have  very  large  glass  windows, 
copied  from  the  mode  in  Holland ;  though  it  is  said 
the  use  of  large  windows  in  that  country  was  intended 
to  produce  an  effect  that  seems  not  to  be  necessary  in 
this  place,  —  which  is,  to  admit  the  rays  of  the  sun. 
Whatever  the  effect  is,  'tis  certain  that  their  houses 
in  front,  almost  without  exception,  are  nearly  half 
glass.  The  rooms  are  very  high,  and  are  spacious 
and  well  furnished.  They  have,  in  general,  good  yard 
room,  and  many  good  gardens  behind  their  houses. 

"  The  streets  are  wide ;  and  on  each  side  of  the 
canal,  which  runs  through  each  of  them,  are  two  rows 
of  sycamore4rees,  which  have  a  continual  verdure,  are 
regularly  planted,  and  are  very  much  of  a  size.  These 
trees  give  a  beautiful  appearance  to  the  city,  and  afford 
an  agreeable  shade  to  those  who  are  obliged  to  walk 
in  the  middle  of  the  day.  These  canals  communicate 
with  the  river  Jacatra,  which  has  nothing  different 
from  them  in  appearance ;  but  has  deeper  water,  runs 
from  a  great  distance  in  the  country,  and  empties  into 
the  sea.  They  are  of  great  convenience  for  transport 
ing  goods,  which  may  be  brought  in  prows  to  within 
forty  feet  of  any  house  in  the  city.  The  streets,  which 
are  not  paved,  are  throughout  the  city  sprinkled, 
morning  and  evening,  with  water  from  the  canals. 
This  is  done  often  by  private  slaves ;  but,  when  they 
neglect  to  do  it,  it  is  done  by  the  company's  slaves, 
who  traverse  the  city  morning  and  evening,  chained 
two  and  two,  for  this  purpose.  Upon  first  observing 
the  pla^i  of  wetting  the  streets,  I  thought  it  a  great 


20  MEMOIR    OF 

convenience,  which  in  fact  it  is;  but  it  took  away 
the  pleasure  of  it  when  I  saw  at  what  an  expense  of 
human  feelings  it  is  effected. 

"  Procured  two  birds  of  paradise ;  the  bird  a  native 
of  the  Moluccas  or  Spice  Islands ;  valuable  at  Bengal, 
and  on  the  peninsula  of  India. 

"  Birds'  nests  at  Batavia  at  two  thousand  five  hun 
dred  paper  dollars  the  pecul.  The  birds  that  make 
these  nests  are  shaped  like  the  swallow,  and  fly  with 
the  same  velocity,  but  are  smaller.  We  saw  numbers 
of  them  while  at  Mew  Island,  but  did  not  know  them 
to  be  the  same  at  the  time.  The  coast  of  Sumatra 
gives  the  greatest  supply  of  them,  called  the  Salig- 
nare,  and  found  in  great  numbers  in  the  Philippines. 
They  always  lay  in  the  same  nest,  unless  it  be  de 
stroyed,  and  will  keep  continually  rebuilding  when 
their  nests  are  taken  away.  Late  method  of  insuring 
good  nests,  by  destroying  all  the  old  ones.  The  nests 
are  formed  of  a  glutinous  substance  found  in  the 
water.  They  are  about  the  size  of  the  inside  of  a 
swallow's  nest,  and  some  of  them  almost  transparent. 
The  soup  made  of  them  is  very  palatable ;  but,  as  it 
is  dear,  it  is  not  often  met  with.  The  old  nests  are 
of  a  black  cast,  and  not  near  so  valuable  as  the  white. 
There  are  three  layers  or  thicknesses  in  the  nests, 
which,  when  separated,  appear  like  three  distinct 
nests :  the  first  or  outside  layer  brings  the  least  price, 
increasing  to  the  inside,  which  bears  the  amazing 
price  above  quoted. 

"  The  shark-fins  are  also  esteemed  a  great  delicacy 
for  soups,  and  are  to  many  very  palatable ;  but  to  me 
they  were  not  so. 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS. 


"  There  are  at  Batavia  nine  persons  who  bear  the 
title  of  Edelheer,  —  that  being  a  title  of  nobility 
which  they  have  assumed  to  themselves.  Among 
these  nine  persons  are  included  the  governor-general, 
who  is  the  president  of  the  Grand  Council  of  the 
Indies,  the  other  seven  councillors,  and  the  director- 
general  of  the  company,  whose  post  is  second  in  the 
settlement.  The  old  director  also,  who,  being  far 
advanced  in  years,  resigned,  holds  this  dignity  of 
Edelheer,  and  has  the  same  attention  paid  to  him 
that  the  inhabitants  are  obliged  to  pay  to  the  rest  of 
them.  Obeisance  is  exacted  from  all  persons,  with 
out  distinction,  in  one  form  which  has  much  dis 
turbed  the  feelings  of  some  strangers  who  were  not 
used  to  acknowledge  themselves  the  inferiors  of  any 
one,  and  felt  much  galled  at  not  being  able  to  help 
themselves.  It  is  this  :  The  carriage  of  an  Edelheer 
is,  when  in  the  city  or  on  meeting  any  carriage  of 
distinction,  preceded  by  two  running  footmen,  who 
carry  each  a  baton  or  cane,  with  a  brass  head  resem 
bling  the  weight  used  with  a  pair  of  steelyards,  and 
of  an  extraordinary  size.  This  announces  the  car 
riage  which  follows  to  be  that  of  an  Edelheer  ;  when 
the  other  carriage  must  drive  up  on  one  side  the  way, 
and  there  wait  until  his  greatness  has  passed.  They 
are  very  civil  in  returning  one  as  low  a  bow  as  is 
given  them.  When  no  carriage  of  distinction  is  on 
the  road,  and  the  Edelheer's  carriage  is  without  the 
suburbs,  it  is  known  by  those  canes  before  spoken  of 
being  projected  from  the  back  part  of  the  carriage  in 
such  a  manner  that  they  cannot  but  be  seen.  There 


22  MEMOIR    OF 

is  a  heavy  fine  exacted  for  passing  the  carriage  of  an 
Edelheer  without  stopping. 

"  Some  time  since,  there  was  an  East  India  Com 
pany's  ship  at  Batavia,  the  captain  of  which,  think 
ing  this  a  very  great  indignity  offered  him,  upon  his 
coachman's  attempting  to  stop  his  horses,  ordered 
him  by  signs  to  go  on ;  which  order  not  being  com 
plied  with  on  the  part  of  the  former,  the  captain  gave 
him  a  very  severe  prick  with  his  sword.  This  made 
some  noise  at  the  time,  but  was  overlooked.  I  think 
it  did  no  great  honor  to  the  good  sense  of  the  cap 
tain,  who  must  have  been  aware  that  the  poor  devil 
who  drove  him  knew  that  passing  the  Edelheer  would 
be  attended  with  disagreeable  consequences  to  him 
self;  which  should  have  alone  been  sufficient  to  have 
prevented  the  captain  from  wishing  it. 

"  The  captain  of  a  French  frigate  who  was  here  fell 
upon  a  much  more  eligible  plan,  and  one  which  suc 
ceeded  to  admiration.  On  being  informed  that  his 
coachman  would  stop  on  meeting  one  of  the  Edel- 
heeren,  he  determined  on  endeavoring  to  overcome  by 
civility  what  he  had  no  hopes  of  averting  by  any 
other  means.  He  had  directions  for  distinguishing 
the  carriage  of  an  Edelheer ;  and,  as  soon  as  he  saw 
one,  prepared  himself  for  descending  from  his  car 
riage.  As  soon  as  his  coachman  checked  his  horses, 
he  alighted  from  his  coach,  and  made  his  respects  to 
the  Edelheer,  who  could  do  no  less  than  dismount 
from  his  upon  seeing  a  person  of  the  appearance  of 
the  captain  thus  paying  him  his  respects;  and,  after 
many  ceremonious  bows  and  testimonies  of  civility, 


THOMAS   HANDASYD   PERKINS.  23 

they  again  resumed  their  seats  in  their  several  car 
riages.  This  piece  of  outstretched  politeness  was 
found  to  be  the  cause  of  some  trouble  to  the  gentle 
men  Edelheeren  during  the  captain's  stay  here ;  which 
induced  them  to  send  an  order  to  the  hotel,  giving 
leave  to  the  coachman  of  the  French  captain  to  drive 
on  without  stopping  for  any  one  of  the  council,  or 
indeed  of  the  Edelheeren. 

"  In  private  companies,  the  greatest  attention  and 
studied  politeness  is  shown  them;  and  they  always, 
when  at  table,  sit  opposite  the  master  of  the  house, 
who  divides  the  table  lengthwise,  and  does  not,  like 
the  host  with  us,  take  his  seat  at  the  end.  They 
have  a  privilege  of  passing  in  and  out  of  the  several 
gates  of  the  city  at  any  time  in  the  day;  which  is 
what  no  other  person  can  do,  as  there  are  particular 
hours  for  passing  and  repassing  the  different  gates." 

These  dignitaries,  and  the  troublesome  ceremonies 
attendant  on  their  rank,  are  no  longer  known. 

"There  is  at  Batavia  a  great  medley  of  inhabi 
tants.  The  principal  persons  in  business,  after  the 
Hollanders,  are  the  Moormen.  Many  of  them  are 
very  rich.  They  are  distinguished  by  a  peculiarity 
of  dress,  and  a  turban  on  the  head.  They  wear 
square-toed  shoes,  which  turn  up  and  terminate  at 
each  corner  in  a  kind  of  ear,  which  has  a  curious 
appearance.  They  are  rather  slippers  than  shoes, 
having  no  quarter  or  straps  to  them.  In  some  re 
spects,  these  people  exceed  any  set  of  men  whom  I 


MEMOIR    OF 


saw  while  at  Batavia  :  they  have  an  ease  of  address 
and  an  air  of  good  breeding  which  one  would  not  ex 
pect  to  find  in  their  countrymen.  In  their  houses 
they  are  courteous,  and  strive  to  make  one's  time 
agreeable  while  under  their  roofs.  They  are  the  best 
shaped  of  any  of  the  Eastern  nations  whom  I  ob 
served  while  there  ;  their  complexion  nearly  the  same 
as  that  of  the  aboriginals  of  America;  their  features 
regular  and  well-set,  with  the  most  piercing  eye  of 
any  people  I  ever  saw.  Their  religion  is  Mahome- 
tanism.  They  carry  on  a  great  trade  to  the  different 
islands  in  the  Indian  seas,  and  by  their  traffic  make 
great  fortunes.  Their  mode  of  saluting  is  by  passing 
the  right  hand,  with  a  slow  motion,  to  the  forehead, 
and  at  the  same  time  bowing  the  head  with  a  most 
graceful  ease.  They  are,  with  the  Chinese,  the  great 
money-changers.  They  are  as  remarkably  quick  in 
casting  and  making  calculations,  without  any  assist 
ance,  as  the  Chinese  are  with  their  counters.  Some 
of  these  people  support  as  decent  carriages  as  any  in 
the  place,  and  live  with  a  great  degree  of  taste. 

"  They  all  chew  betel,  areka-nut,  and  chunam. 
This  has  the  effect  of  rendering  the  teeth  black  and 
shining  like  ebony.  They  esteem  it  healthful,  as  it 
causes  expectoration  in  a  greater  degree  than  tobacco. 
This,  they  aver,  is  absolutely  necessary  in  their  coun 
try.  It  is,  however,  a  filthy,  vile  practice  in  our  eyes, 
excusable  in  some  degree  in  the  men,  but  in  the  women 
truly  disgusting.  I  never  saw  any  European  gentle 
men  use  the  betel  ;  but  many  of  the  European  women 
have  adopted  the  habit  of  chewing  it,  and  have  their 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £5 

mouths  crowded  with  it.  The  private  secretary  of 
the  council,  one  of  the  most  genteel  men  at  Batavia, 
told  me  of  his  great  aversion  to  the  use  of  it  in 
women ;  and  observed,  that  his  wife  had  so  great  an 
attachment  to  it,  that  all  his  powers  of  persuasion 
were  not  sufficient  to  wean  her  from  it.  She  was 
quite  young,  —  not  more  than  nineteen  or  twenty  at 
the  extent.  There  is  a  child,  of  seven  or  eight  years 
of  age,  always  in  attendance  on  those  who  chew  the 
betel,  which  is  deposited  in  a  box,  in  some  instances 
of  very  curious  workmanship.  This  child  is  the 
bearer  of  the  box,  and  ever  waiting  the  wishes  of 
the  person  so  attended. 

"  All  the  people  in  this  place  seem  very  fond  of 
being  surrounded  by  domestics.  One  seldom  sees  a 
coach  pass,  particularly  if  there  are  women  in  it, 
without  five  or  six  slaves,  —  some  carrying  the  ba 
tons,  others  the  umbrellas,  &c.,  the  slaves  being  gene 
rally  Malays ;  though  there  are  some  from  all  the 
inhabited  islands  in  the  India  and  China  seas. 

"  The  love  of  gaming  shows  itself  in  no  place 
where  I  have  ever  been  so  strongly  as  here.  It  is, 
however,  confined  to  the  natives  and  other  colored 
people ;  for,  among  the  Europeans,  they,  for  the  most 
part,  have  a  fixed  bet,  which  is  not  large,  and  beyond 
which  they  do  not  go.  But  with  the  lower  people  it 
is  the  origin  of  almost  all  their  quarrels,  and  fre 
quently  terminates  in  death.  You  will  see,  in  what 
ever  part  of  the  town  you  visit,  circles  of  those 
gamblers  seated  on  the  ground,  and  great  numbers 
of  spectators,  who  all  seem  to  be  deeply  interested 


£6  MEMOIR    OF 

in  the  business,  if  we  may  judge  from  the  smile  of 
success  which  brightens  up  their  countenances,  and 
the  look  which,  perhaps  the  moment  after,  bespeaks 
ill-luck.  There  are  great  numbers  of  houses,  for  the 
most  part  kept  by  Chinese,  which  are  open  as  gam 
bling-houses,  and  when  passing  which  you  continu 
ally  hear  the  jingling  of  money,  and  the  confused 
sound  of  many  voices.  They  have  a  large  table,  like 
a  tailor's  shopboard,  on  which  they  sit  in  a  circle  and 
play  their  game.  Even  in  private  families,  you  will 
always  see  parties  of  slaves  seated  in  some  part  of 
the  house  at  this  diversion ;  and,  in  short,  this  vice  is 
the  prevailing  one,  from  the  oldest  to  the  youngest. 

"  The  Malays  are  great  cock-fighters,  and  have  as 
fine  birds  as  perhaps  any  in  the  world.  They  bet 
more  deeply,  and  involve  themselves  more,  in  this 
barbarous  custom,  than  in  any  other  species  of  gam 
bling;  and  there  have  been  instances  of  their  carry 
ing  it  to  as  unpardonable  a  length  as  the  Chinese 
do  in  playing  away  the  liberty  of  their  wives  and 
children,  and  even  of  enslaving  themselves ;  which 
last,  however,  is  more  excusable  than  to  take  that 
liberty  with  their  connections. 

"There  are,  in  some  of  the  Dutch  settlements, 
Malay  governors  and  chiefs ;  and  many  of  their  wo 
men  are  married  to  Europeans.  The  language  of  the 
Malays  is  the  most  known  of  any  language  in  the 
several  islands,  and  indeed  may  be  called  among 
the  islands  of  the  East  what  the  French  language 
is  acknowledged  to  be  throughout  Europe.  It  is 
agreeable  to  the  ear,  and  said  to  be  the  most  musical 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  27 

and  soft  of  any  of  the  Eastern  languages.  It  is  very 
easily  learned  and  spoken  by  every  European  who  has 
been  any  time  in  the  country. 

"  In  most  countries,  the  servant  has  to  learn  the 
language  of  the  person  in  whose  service  he  is :  but 
here  that  custom  is  reversed ;  for  there  is  not  one  in 
a  hundred  of  the  slaves  who  understands  Dutch,  nor 
one-quarter  of  that  proportion  who  speak  it ;  whereas 
every  Dutchman  and  every  member  of  his  family 
speaks  the  Malayan  language.  Indeed,  it  is  the  first 
language  the  children  here  learn;  as  they  get  the 
dialect  from  their  nurses,  who  are  Malayan  women, 
before  that  of  their  parents.  Every  child,  when 
ushered  into  the  world,  has  one  of  these  nurses  ap 
pointed  to  it,  which  is  given  to  the  child  as  its  pro 
perty,  and  generally  serves  it  till  their  general  master 
separates  them. 

"  This  language  is  used  by  the  Chinese,  who  all 
speak  it,  as  well  as  by  the  other  Indian  inhabitants 
of  this  place,  who,  for  the  most  part,  do  not  speak 
Dutch ;  so  that  it  is  absolutely  necessary  that  they 
should  know  it. 

"  There  are  these  advantages  arising  from  the  Ma 
lays  not  knowing  the  language  of  the  Dutch,  —  that 
the  latter  are  obliged  to  learn  theirs,  and  that  the  con 
versation  which  is  passing  while  they  are  in  waiting  is 
not  liable  to  be  carried  out  of  the  company  by  them. 
The  Malays,  without  an  exception  that  I  was  ever  ac 
quainted  with,  chew  betel,  and  in  greater  quantities 
than  the  other  Asiatics. 

"  The  slaves,  fqr  the  most  part,  have  only  a  piece 


MEMOIR    OF 


of  linen  cloth  over  those  parts  for  which  modesty 
demands  covering.  There  are  some,  however,  who 
have  long  pieces  of  this  cloth  thrown  over  the  right 
shoulder,  and  hanging  down  under  the  left  arm  almost 
to  the  ground.  I  could  never  see  the  use  of  this  ad 
ditional  garment,  as  it  only  hid  a  part  of  the  breast 
and  the  middle  part  of  the  back,  and  was  always  laid 
aside  when  they  were  engaged  in  work.  There  are 
others,  who  are  body-servants,  who  have  a  kind  of 
frock,  or  long  skirt,  buttoning  round  the  neck  with 
brass  buttons,  and  hanging  loose  to  the  ankles.  The 
Malayan  women,  in  lieu  of  the  petticoat,  have  a  piece 
of  cloth  long  enough  to  go  twice  round  them,  and 
made  of  a  width  sufficient  to  reach  from  above  the 
hips  to  the  ground ;  and,  to  cover  the  upper  part  of 
the  body,  they  have  a  short  white  gown,  which  comes 
straight  down  to  the  hips,  and  has  long  sleeves,  which 
set  close,  and  show  the  form  very  distinctly.  They 
seldom  wear  shoes,  and,  I  believe,  never  stockings. 
They  dress  their  hair,  which  is  long  and  coal-black, 
with  a  most  refined  degree  of  taste  and  neatness.  It 
is  combed  all  to  the  back  of  the  head,  and,  after  being 
twisted,  is  fastened  in  a  circular  form  on  the  back  of 
the  head  with  long  pins.  The  juice  of  the  cocoanut- 
tree,  which  is  used  in  lieu  of  pomatum,  gives  it  a 
gloss  like  japanned  ware,  and  makes  it  appear  very 
agreeably. 

"Both  whites  and  colored  men  and  women  pay 
great  attention  to  the  cleanliness  of  their  persons. 
The  white  ladies  ride  a  few  miles  out  of  town  to  their 
.country-seats,  past  each  of  which  runs  a  canal,  with 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £9 

convenient  steps  made  for  descending  to  the  water, 
where  they  strip  themselves,  except  of  a  piece  of 
cloth  worn  as  the  Malays  do  their  common  dresses, 
and  a  long  piece  of  muslin  thrown  over  the  shoulders, 
and  bathe,  exposed  to  the  eyes  of  every  passer-by. 
They  seem  to  have  got  quite  reconciled  to  being  thus 
exposed,  as  a  stranger  passing  does  not  seem  to  dis 
turb  them  in  the  smallest  degree.  The  men  who 
labor,  being  in  general  the  colored  people,  and  par 
ticularly  the  Chinese,  towards  dark  strip  themselves 
of  their  clothes,  except  a  small  piece  of  cloth  round 
the  waist,  and  go  into  the  canals,  which,  in  the  town, 
are  the  receptacles  for  every  kind  of  filth.  They 
nevertheless  dive  under  water,  and  sport  as  if  in  a 
clear  river.  The  women  also  keep  their  piece  of 
cloth,  which  encloses  the  lower  part  of  the  body, 
over  them,  and  leave  the  parts  above  the  waist  en 
tirely  uncovered.  They  so  early  accustom  their  chil 
dren  to  bathing,  that  they  become  in  a  degree 
amphibious,  and  appear  to  be  as  much  in  their  ele 
ment  when  in  the  water  as  when  on  land.  Although 
the  Chinese  are  the  principal  cultivators  of  the  earth, 
the  Malays  bear  some  part  in  the  burden.  The  for 
mer  are,  however,  esteemed  the  best  gardeners,  and  as 
the  most  industrious  by  far. 

"  I  saw  a  Malay  make  use  of  an  instrument  for 
shooting  birds,  which  it  appeared  to  me  impossible 
could  carry  with  it  the  execution  that  in  fact  it  does. 
It  is  a  hollow  trunk,  about  the  thickness  of  our 
largest  walking-sticks  near  the  head.  The  hollow 
appeared  to  be  natural.  It  was  about  five  feet  ten 


30  MEMOIR    OF 

inches  long ;  which  I  know  by  comparing  it  with  my 
height.  The  hollow  was  about  large  enough  to  admit 
the  middle  finger,  and  had  a  brass  ring  round  the  end, 
—  I  suppose  to  keep  it  from  splitting.  This  is  di 
rected  towards  the  object  against  which  you  mean  to 
do  execution ;  and  through  it  is  blown,  from  the 
mouth  of  the  sportsman,  a  piece  of  clay,  formed 
round  by  the  finger.  This  is  shot  with  such  force, 
and  with  so  much  exactitude,  by  many  of  the  Malays 
and  natives,  as  seldom  to  fail  of  doing  execution. 
When  I  first  saw  this  mode  of  shooting,  I  concluded 
that  this  piece  of  clay  would  not  do  more  than  stun 
the  bird  which  it  should  chance  to  strike,  and  ac 
counted  in  this  way  for  the  taking  the  immense  num 
bers  of  birds  which  are  daily  exposed  alive  for  sale  in 
the  market ;  but  was  assured,  upon  inquiry,  that  in 
stant  death  was  the  consequence  of  the  balls  striking 
the  bird.  They  are  killed  in  this  way  from  the  tops 
of  the  highest  cocoanut-trees ;  and  from  this  we  see 
that  the  rude  state  of  the  people  produced  some  im 
plements  which  they  have  found  reason  to  continue 
since  they  are  more  cultivated. 

"  Many  of  the  natives  have  their  finger  nails  tinged 
with  a  vermilion  color.  They  keep  them  in  very 
good  order ;  and  this  color  gives  them  a  very  pretty 
appearance.  They,  in  some  instances,  have  adopted 
the  custom  of  the  Chinese,  in  letting  the  nail  of  one 
of  their  fingers  grow  to  a  great  length,  and,  indeed, 
never  cutting  it,  to  show  they  are  not  used  to  labor. 
There  are  great  numbers  of  the  Malays  and  other 
colored  people  here  who  are  clerks  to  private  gentle- 


THOMAS   HANDASYD   PERKINS.  31 

men,  and  many  others  who  are  differently  employed 
by  the  company.  They  have  the  most  unlimited  con 
fidence  reposed  in  them  in  many  instances,  and  show 
in  not  a  few  that  they  are  not  unworthy  of  it. 

"  The  Malays,  in  a  peculiar  degree,  are  fond  of 
music,  and  have  a  great  taste  and  good  judgment  in 
performing.  All  the  first  people  have  bands  of  their 
own,  who  perform,  as  I  was  capable  of  judging,  very 
well.  Their  instruments  —  or,  at  least,  those  which 
they  use  in  the  concerts  above  mentioned  —  are  Euro 
pean,  and  the  same  as  are  usually  played  upon  in 
the  more  western  regions.  Those  bands  which  are 
brought  to  some  degree  of  perfection,  when  sold 
bring  a  large  price;  but  without  any  particular  re 
commendation,  and  as  they  are  taken  from  the  vessels 
which  import  them,  they  are  sold  for  about  one  hun 
dred  paper-dollars  a  head.  I  was  astonished  at  the 
low  price  they  bore  in  comparison  to  the  Guinea 
slaves  in  America  and  the  colonies ;  but  it  is  to  be 
accounted  for  from  their  being  in  less  demand,  and  in 
greater  numbers  to  be  disposed  of. 

"  The  temper  of  the  Malays  is  in  a  great  degree 
vindictive,  —  never  forgetting  an  injury  done  them, 
let  what  time  will  transpire  between  receiving  the 
injury  and  having  an  opportunity  to  revenge  it.  Of 
the  truth  of  this,  there  were,  while  I  was  at  Batavia, 
many  melancholy  proofs.  This  revengeful  temper  of 
the  Malays  is  more  to  be  feared  from  its  being  so 
carefully  hid  by  the  person  who  harbors  it.  They 
do  not  appear  to  have  treasured  up  the  remembrances 
of  an  affront ;  and,  when  least  suspected,  take  some 


o£  MEMOIR   OF 

means  to  deprive  of  life  the  person  who  has,  or  who 
they  imagine  has,  done  them  ill.  They  are  great 
cowards ;  though,  in  my  opinion,  made  so  by  their 
state  of  servitude  and  entire  submission  to  the  wills 
of  their  masters.  They  always  time  their  murders 
so  well,  that  they  are  very  seldom  detected.  They 
take  the  night  for  carrying  their  designs  into  execu 
tion  ;  and  the  street  is  generally  the  place  where  it  is 
effected.  They  use  their  long  knives  to  such  purpose 
when  they  set  about  it,  that  the  unhappy  victim  of 
their  malice  or  revenge  is  in  an  instant  put  beyond 
the  power  of  calling  aid,  and  thrown  into  the  canals, 
where  he  is  found  in  the  morning,  but  without  the 
most  distant  expectation  of  detecting  the  murderer. 
There  is  scarcely  ever  an  instance  of  two  being  con 
cerned  in  a  single  murder,  so  distrustful  are  they  of 
each  other. 

"  A  few  weeks  previous  to  my  arrival,  there  was  a 
murder  committed  upon  a  person  who  was  beloved 
and  respected  by  almost  everybody.  He  was  an  ec 
clesiastic,  but  had  retired  to  the  country,  having 
exerted  his  good  talent  to  the  satisfaction  of  every 
one;  and  there  was  little  doubt  but  that  he  would 
receive  the  rewards  of  a  good  and  faithful  servant, 
and  have  another  talent  added  to  his  store.  This 
universally  acknowledged  good  man  was  shot  dead 
while  sitting  at  the  door  of  his  own  house,  in  the 
evening,  by  whom,  or  for  what  reason,  could  never  be 
found  out ;  but  it  was  supposed  to  be  one  of  his  own 
servants ;  though  why  or  wherefore  I  never  heard 
conjectured.  Jealousy  is  not  a  passion  that  has  taken 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  33 

great  root  with  these  people.  However,  when  they 
have  reason  to  feel  this  most  dangerous  of  the  passions 
which  disturb  the  human  breast,  it  affects  them  in  a 
very  high  degree ;  and  death  with  aggravations  is  the 
consequence  of  infidelity. 

"  When  well  used,  the  Malays  are  grateful,  and 
would  go  great  lengths  to  save  their  benefactor. 
Though  they  are  great  thieves,  and  must  be  very 
sharply  watched,  yet  their  thefts  are  never  extended, 
or  but  very  seldom,  to  house-breaking.  They  will 
pilfer  every  thing  which  comes  in  their  way  when 
there  is  little  fear  of  detection  ;  and,  by  their  address, 
will  steal  from  you  before  your  eyes.  Instances  of 
this  kind  frequently  occur  in  unlading  prows;  and 
when  there  is  any  thing  that  will  sink,  such  as  iron, 
steel,  &c.,  they,  with  great  dexterity,  let  a  part  fall 
into  the  water. 

"Batavia,  which  is  the  warehouse  of  the  Dutch 
East  India  Company,  and  the  most  important  by  far 
of  all  their  possessions  round  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope, 
is  raised  on  the  ruins  of  the  ancient  city  of  Jacatra, 
where  the  English  had  a  settlement,  and  from  which 
they  were  ousted  by  the  Dutch  in  1617.  It  is  about 
fifty  leagues  from  the  entrance  of  the  Straits  of  Sunda, 
and  about  twelve  leagues  from  Bantam.  It  has  a  fine 
harbor,  which  is  well  defended  from  the  winds  by  the 
many  small  islands  which  surround  it.  It  has  good 
anchorage,  and  could  accommodate  seven  or  eight 
hundred  sail  of  shipping.  The  latitude  of  Batavia  is 
6°  south,  and  about  106°  east  longitude.  The  Dutch, 
after  wresting  this  place  from  its  proper  owners, 

5 


34  MEMOIR   OF 

made  many  improvements  in  it.  It  is  at  this  time  well 
guarded  by  a  stone  wall,  which  is  well  built,  and  about 
twelve  feet  high.  Without  it  is  a  canal,  which  quite 
encompasses  it,  and  has  several  drawbridges  over  it, 
which  are  occasionally  drawn  up.  On  it  are  several 
watch-towers,  where  are  continually  soldiers  kept  on 
sentry.  It  has  four  gates,  one  to  each  bridge,  which 
are  all  well  secured  and  guarded,  each  gate  having  a 
guard-house  adjoining  it,  which  has  a  considerable 
number  of  soldiers  in  it.  These  walls  are  well  stored 
with  guns  and  the  necessary  appendages,  which  are 
always  kept  in  order  in  case  of  necessity.  They  are 
very  ornamental,  —  being  well  painted  of  a  stone 
color  on  the  outside,  and  being  well  built  in  a  manner 
that  does  honor  to  the  artificers  who  executed  them. 
The  bastions  are  so  laid  out,  that  they  would  be  ser 
viceable  as  well  against  an  insurrection  as  an  invasion. 
The  one  or  the  other  they  would  have  great  reason  to 
fear,  had  either  the  Chinese,  who  were  inhumanly  cut 
off  here,  or  the  original  inhabitants,  who  have  always 
been  under  the  lash  of  the  present  possessors,  courage 
enough  to  retaliate;  but,  fortunately  for  the  Dutch, 
they  have  a  people  to  deal  with,  in  the  Chinese,  who 
do  not  appear  to  have  the  passions  which  govern  men 
in  general.  They  appear  here  to  have  no  resentment  in 
their  composition.  They  have  a  placid  countenance, 
which  is  very  seldom  seen  to  be  acted  upon  by  any  of 
the  passions.  If  they  are  vexed  at  what  you  say,  they 
never  will  give  you  the  advantage  of  them  by  flying  into 
a  passion  of  anger.  If  they  are  pleased  in  the  strik 
ing  a  bargain,  you  will  never  know  it  from  their 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  35 

looks,  perhaps  for  fear  the  other  party  should  suppose 
he  has  the  advantage ;  so  that,  whatever  thwarts  them, 
they  are  on  their  guard :  whether  pleased  or  disgusted, 
merry  or  sad,  you  are  not  the  wiser,  such  is  the  com 
mand  they  have  of  themselves.  If  any  thing  can 
raise  their  muscles  into  a  smile,  it  is  the  seeing  an 
Englishman  throw  himself  into  a  passion  on  a  trifling 
occasion.  They  will  compose  themselves,  and  remain 
seated  until  his  anger  has  evaporated,  and  then  inquire 
the  reason  of  it,  however  apparent  it  may  have  been. 
You  seldom  see  them  laugh.  Tis  true,  they  smile  ; 
but  it  appears  to  be  more  out  of  complaisance  to  you 
than  from  a  natural  impulse.  It  is  certain  the  softer 
passions  are  not  so  visible  in  them  as  with  us. 
They  have  no  fellow-feeling  at  the  sufferings  of  those 
around  them  in  distress ;  they  pass  by  without  a  look, 
or  even  a  thought,  —  if  I  may  judge  from  appear 
ances,  —  on  the  situation  of  those  who  are  exposed  to 
the  arrows  of  misfortune ;  and  view  without  a  change 
of  countenance  objects  of  distress  which  would  call 
forth  the  tear  of  sympathy  from  every  eye  that  had  a 
tear  to  shed. 

"  The  Chinese,  in  general,  will  tell  you,  with  all  the 
seeming  indifference  in  nature,  of  the  loss  of  a  wife, 
parent,  or  child ;  and  although  they  make  a  parade 
of  grief  at  their  funerals,  yet  no  sooner  is  the  cere 
mony  at  an  end  than  the  brow  which  but  a  moment 
before  appeared  to  be  overwhelmed  with  grief  now 
wears  a  placid  appearance,  and  has  not  upon  it  the 
most  distant  trace  of  sorrow. 

"  I  saw,  while  at  Batavia,  two  of  these  interments ; 


MEMOIR    OF 


or  rather  I  saw  the  procession  pass  of  one,  and  the 
return  of  another.  In  the  first,  the  corpse  was  borne 
by  a  number  of  coolies,  or  porters,  the  coffin  covered 
with  a  white  pall:  then  followed  a  number  of  women, 
with  hoods  covering  their  heads,  and  in  white  from 
the  head  to  the  very  shoes,  who  by  their  walk  one 
would  suppose  had  been  taking  too  freely  of  their 
favorite  betel,  and  had  felt  the  effects  of  it  in  their 
heads.  But  this  was  only  the  show  of  grief;  and  I 
afterwards  found  out  they  were  hired  mourners.  They 
were  on  each  side  supported  by  other  females,  who 
appeared  with  difficulty  to  uphold  them.  Those  were 
followed  by  the  near  and  dear  relatives  of  the  deceased  ; 
but  in  their  countenances  was  no  mark  of  grief;  and 
they  looked  on  this  and  the  other  side  of  them  with 
all  the  indifference  possible.  Such  is  the  effect  of 
education.  Their  wives  they  treat  with  very  little 
attention :  nor,  indeed,  does  any  thing  seem  to  be 
their  object  or  pursuit  but  wealth ;  to  obtain  which 
they  stop  at  nothing,  however  low  and  despicable. 
There  are  said  to  be  forty  thousand  Chinese  in  Batavia 
and  its  vicinity.  They  are  governed  by  their  own 
officers,  but  are  all  restricted  to  the  general  outlines  of 
the  Dutch  policy.  Many  of  them  are  immensely  rich, 
and  enter  very  largely  into  trade ;  have  stores  in  town, 
and  elegant  country-seats  without  the  gates.  They 
parade  about  in  their  carriages  with  a  great  degree  of 
state,  and  seem  to  feel  their  consequence.  The  num 
bers  of  Chinese  are  daily  increasing  at  this  place: 
every  junk  which  comes  brings  more  or  less^  most  of 
whom  they  smuggle  into  the  city,  as  they  have  a  duty 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  37 

to  pay  on  all  regularly  imported,  —  the  number  of 
them  to  be  imported  annually  is  prescribed,  —  and 
have  a  rix-dollar  to  pay  per  month  for  having  the 
privilege  of  wearing  the  hair  after  the  manner  of  their 
own  countrymen ;  so  that,  what  was  first  adopted 
against  their  own  wills,  they  have  now  to  pay  for  the 
privilege  of  enjoying.  Why  more  of  the  Chinese 
leave  their  country  one  year  than  another  is,  that, 
while  they  can  find  wherewith  to  exist  in  their  na 
tive  country,  they  choose  to  tarry  there ;  but,  when 
famine  stares  them  in  the  face,  —  which  is  the  case 
in  a  greater  or  less  degree  almost  every  year,  —  they 
fly  to  this  place,  in  hopes  of  finding  better  fare  than 
their  own  country  offers  them.  They  wear  the  same 
dress  as  at  Canton,  and  live  in  the  same  retired  way. 
They  are  the  principal  mechanics,  and  the  best  hus 
bandmen.  Their  merchants  deal  for  the  largest  and 
the  most  trifling  article ;  for  the  same  man  who  will 
sell  you  to  the  amount  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  will 
bring  you  a  pot  of  sweetmeats  which  cost  a  couple  of 
ducatoons  ;  and  there  are  no  risks  they  will  not  run 
for  this  darling  treasure.  A  Chinese,  if  detected  in 
vending  one  pound  of  spices,  is  racked  on  the  wheel ; 
and  yet  there  is  scarce  one  of  them  who  will  not  bring 
them  to  one's  chamber  after  a  short  acquaintance. 
Great  care,  however,  is  to  be  used  in  purchasing 
from  them ;  for  they  are  in  some  instances  employed 
as  spies  upon  the  conduct  of  strangers  by  the  Dutch 
Company;  and  in  others  they  will  deceive  you  in 
whatever  they  sell,  if  they  find  you  are  a  green  hand ; 
so  that  it  is  necessary  to  have  one's  eye  well  about  one 


38  MEMOIR    OF 

to  deal  with  these  people,  the  character  of  whom  is  to 
me  unfathomable. 

"  The  Chinese  are  industrious  to  a  very  great  de 
gree.  They  farm  the  customs  and  the  fishery  which 
supplies  the  town.  The  former  they  make  serve  very 
valuable  purposes  to  them,  as  they  can  wink  at  such 
things  as  will  befriend  their  countrymen  and  are  pro 
hibited  ;  and  the  latter,  though  apparently  of  no  great 
importance,  is  of  very  great  consequence. 

"  Although  there  is  the  greatest  abundance  of  fish 
at  this  place  of  any  I  was  ever  at,  yet  not  one  is  lost ; 
for  they  are  all  brought  to  market  alive,  —  which  is 
the  only  state  the  inhabitants  buy  them  in ;  and  what 
are  not  sold  while  alive  are  pickled  and  saved  against 
the  rainy  season,  when  fish  of  all  kinds  are  very 
scarce,  and  the  dried  are  in  very  great  request. 

"As  the  Dutch  are  ever  seeking  to  turn  to  their 
own  advantage  the  whims  of  every  one  who  is  under 
their  government,  they  have  not  omitted  taking  the 
advantage  of  the  Chinese  in  their  mode  of  burials. 
As  every  man  who  dies  among  the  Chinese  must  have 
a  separate  burial-place,  and  must  have  his  ashes  left 
undisturbed,  he  has  to  pay  well  for  it.  Their  burial- 
places  take  up  miles  in  extent.  Some  of  the  tombs  are 
very  richly  decorated,  and  must  have  been  expensive. 
Where  a  great  man  is  buried,  the  ground  is  thrown  up, 
in  the  form  of  a  small  hillock,  to  the  height  of  ten  or 
twelve  feet;  and  at  one  side  of  it  is  the  tombstone, 
with  a  large  flat  piece  of  marble-work  placed  at  the 
entrance,  below  the  stone  which  marks  who  lies  with 
in.  For  these  spots  are  exacted  very  large  sums  ;  and, 


THOMAS   HANDASYD   PERKINS.  39 

as  the  numbers  dying  from  seventy  thousand  cannot 
be  inconsiderable,  the  income  this  produces  is  great. 

"  It  is  with  the  Chinese  to  raise  the  exchange  of  the 
paper  currency  or  lower  it  as  they  please  ;  they  being 
great  money-holders,  and  the  greatest  speculators  in 
the  place.  The  principal  place  of  their  abode  is  one 
called  the  Chinese  Camp,  without  the  walls  of  the 
city.  The  Chinese  who  are  here  pretty  generally  use 
betel,  and,  without  an  exception,  have  always  tea 
ready  made  on  a  stand  in  their  houses  and  shops.  In 
whichever  you  go,  you  have  a  cup  of  it  presented  to 
you ;  which  was  very  seldom  refused  by  me,  and  which 
I  found  to  be  afterwards  the  general  custom  of  the 
place. 

"  The  Chinese  are  very  cleanly  in  their  persons. 
They  bathe  in  the  rivers  often,  and  are,  in  a  great 
degree,  nice  in  their  dress,  which  is  the  best  adapted 
to  the  heat  of  the  climate  of  any  worn  in  this  place. 
The  trading  men,  in  general,  are  dressed  in  straw- 
colored  Persian.  Their  outer  garment  is  a  kind  of 
frock,  which  hangs  loosely  over  the  shoulders,  and 
extends  as  far  down  as  the  knees :  it  has  buttons  at 
the  neck,  and  loopholes,  by  which  they  can,  and  for 
the  most  part  do,  fasten  it.  The  sleeves  are  so  loose 
as  to  go  twice  round  the  arm,  if  forced  to,  and  reach 
down  below  the  fingers'  ends.  I  could  not  help  — 
after  being  a  little  acquainted  with  them  —  assigning 
a  bad  motive  for  the  construction  of  these  sleeves. 
Besides  this,  they  have  a  pair  of  loose  trousers  made 
of  the  same  silk,  which  reach  the  ankles,  and  must 
be  very  cool  and  agreeable.  They  wear  the  Chinese 


40  MEMOIR    OF 

shoe,  which  is  clumsy  and  ill  contrived.  They  are 
made  of  black  satin,  or  rather  covered  with  that  silk, 
except  when  they  are  in  mourning,  when  they  wear 
white  shoes,  as  well  as  every  thing  else  of  that  color, 
—  black  being  rather  a  rejoicing  than  a  mourning 
dress.  They  wear  on  the  head  a  little  kind  of  skull 
cap,  about  the  bigness  of  a  quart  bowl,  though  not 
one-third  its  depth.  This  they  take  off,  in  the  same 
manner  as  we  do  our  hats,  when  they  meet  a  person 
to  whom  they  pay  their  respects  ;  and  they  also  give 
the  hand  in  the  same  manner  as  practised  with  us. 
The  wearing  the  hair  as  they  do  is  what  gives  the  most 
singular  appearance.  They  shave  the  heads  of  their 
children  as  soon  as  any  hair  is  visible,  leaving  only  a 
round  patch  on  a  part  of  the  back  side  of  the  head. 
The  hair  growing  on  this  spot  they  take  every  pains 
in  forwarding,  and  delight  in  having  this  favorite  lock 
as  long  as  possible.  They  plait  it ;  and,  when  it  is 
not  naturally  long,  they  blend  in  with  it  a  kind  of 
black  silk,  which  resembles  very  much  the  hair,  to 
give  it  what  nature  has  denied.  This  lock  is  left 
hanging  down  the  back,  and,  in  some  of  them,  reaches 
near  the  ground.  When  they  are  occupied  with  any 
thing  wherein  the  hair  interferes,  it  is  wound  round 
the  head,  and  the  end  tucked  under  the  thicker  part, 
which  keeps  it  from  falling.  They  shave,  for  the 
most  part,  every  day ;  and  there  is  no  part  of  the  face, 
nor  indeed  any  part  above  the  middle  of  the  neck, 
over  which  the  razor  is  not  passed.  For. the  inside  of 
the  nose  and  indented  parts  of  the  ears,  they  have  a 
narrow  razor  made  for  the  purpose.  The  operation 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  41 

of  champooing  I  never  saw  performed ;  though.  I  am 
informed  it  is  practised  here  as  at  Canton. 

"  The  junks  which  come  from  China  to  this  place 
always  leave  it  by  the  15th  of  July,  and  arrive  in  Ja 
nuary.  They  are,  to  appearance,  miserable  things,  and 
must  stand  a  poor  chance  in  a  typhoon,  —  which  is  a 
heavy  gale  of  wind,  like  the  hurricanes  in  the  West 
Indies,  though  said  to  be  more  violent.  More  or  less 
of  the  junks  are  missing  every  year ;  and  there  is  no 
doubt  they  are  foundered  in  those  heavy  storms. 

"  The  Chinese  have  a  free  trade  to  Batavia,  where 
they  bring  tea,  china,  japanned  wares,  nankins,  silks, 
&c.,  and  take,  in  return,  Spanish  dollars  and  ducatoons, 
though  the  former  are  preferred.  Spices,  birds'-nests, 
pepper,  tin,  sugars,  coffee,  candy,  beeswax,  oil,  hides, 
burning-canes,  ratans,  sandal-wood,  and,  when  there 
is  a  probability  of  scarcity  in  China,  rice,  which  will 
always  pay  a  good  freight,  are  exported. 

"  There  is  an  old  law  which  forbids  the  Javans  from 
being  made  slaves ;  but  they  are  in  service,  more  or 
less  of  them,  in  almost  every  house.  There  are  many 
sepoys  in  the  service  of  the  company  as  soldiers. 
They  are  stout,  well-set  men,  in  general  about  five  feet 
eight  inches  high,  and  well  proportioned,  and  their 
skins  are  almost  as  black  as  those  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  coast  of  Guinea.  Their  hair  is  black,  and  tied  be 
hind,  though,  in  general,  inclined  to  be  curly.  They 
have  a  sharp  eye  and  fierce  countenances,  and  are  said 
to  be  fine  soldiers.  Their  dress  is  a  short,  blue  coat, 
made  of  thin  cloth,  with  red  lappels,  and  a  waistcoat 
of  the  same,  with  a  coarse  shirt.  Their  breeches  are 

6 


42  MEMOIR    OF 

made  tight,  buttoned  over  the  hips,  and  do  not  come 
more  than  one-third  the  way  down  the  thigh,  to  which 
they  set  as  close  as  the  skin  itself.  They  have  a  sort 
of  half-gaiter  and  shoes,  and  are  more  particularly 
employed  as  marines  on  board  the  spice-ships." 

He  proceeded  to  Canton  for  a  cargo  of  teas.  While 
he  was  there,  a  vessel  arrived  whose  name  has  since 
become  one  of  historical  interest,  —  the  "  Columbia ;  " 
the  ship  which,  in  her  next  voyage,  under  the  com 
mand  of  Capt.  Gray,  crossed  the  bar  of  the  Columbia 
River,  as  it  was  always  called  afterwards,  —  the  inci 
dent  being  referred  to  in  recent  negotiations  of  intense 
interest,  as  the  foundation  of  a  territorial  claim  on  the 
part  of  the  United  States.  Remaining  several  months 
in  China,  and  attending  assiduously  to  the  business  of 
the  ship,  he  became  well  acquainted  with  the  habits 
of  the  Chinese,  and  collected  a  fund  of  information 
concerning  trade  there  in  all  its  branches,  and  the 
value  of  sea-otter  skins  and  other  furs  from  the  north 
west  coast  of  our  continent,  which  formed  the  basis 
of  action  for  him  afterwards  in  planning  numerous 
voyages  and  directing  mercantile  operations  of  great 
importance  between  America,  Asia,  and  Europe.  He 
was  long  remembered  there  too,  particularly  by  one 
occupying  a  subordinate  position  at  the  time,  who 
had  observed  him,  though  not  known  to  him  personal 
ly,  and  who  afterwards  became  eminently  distinguished 
in  the  commerce  of  the  East,  —  the  well-known  Hong 
merchant,  Houqua.  Commercial  relations  of  an  inti 
mate  character  and  entire  confidence  were  afterwards 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  43 

established  between  them,  and  existed  for  many  years 
with  mutual  advantage. 

Returning  homeward,  he  found  that  the  period  of 
his  absence  had  been  eventful  in  changes  that  were  to 
have  important  influence  in  the  political  and  commer 
cial  world.  They  received  news  of  the  revolutionary 
movements  in  France  from  a  vessel  which  they  spoke 
in  crossing  the  trade-winds.  On  arriving  at  Boston, 
they  found  our  government  organized  under  the  new 
constitution  of  1789;  and  though  this  led  to  heavy 
duties,  particularly  on  teas,  it  was  giving  confidence 
and  stability  to  trade.  With  the  information  which 
he  had  brought  home,  he  sent  a  brig  —  the  "  Hope," 
Capt.  Ingraham  —  to  the  north-west  coast,  with  tho 
intention  of  terminating  the  voyage  at  Canton.  The 
most  important  result  of  this  voyage  appears  to  have 
been  the  discovery  of  the  northern  portion  of  the 
Marquesas  Islands,  as  now  laid  down  on  the  map  of 
the  Pacific.  Its  main  object  was  defeated  by  un 
toward  circumstances. 

He  soon  afterwards  joined  his  friend  Capt.  Magee, 
however,  in  building  a  ship,  —  the  "  Margaret,"  —  of 
which  the  captain  went  master  for  the  north-west 
coast,  and,  after  an  absence  of  two  years  and  a  half, 
brought  the  voyage  to  a  successful  close.  Capt. 
Magee  carried  out  the  frame  of  a  vessel,  with  three  or 
four  carpenters,  and  set  up  the  little  craft  of  about 
thirty  tons  under  Capt.  Swift,  then  the  chief  carpen 
ter  ;  and  the  schooner  collected  some  twelve  or  fifteen 
hundred  sea-otters  during  the  season,  which  added 
much  to  the  profit  of  the  voyage,  as  the  skins  were 


44  MEMOIR    OF 

worth  thirty  or  forty  dollars  when  Capt.  Magee  reached 
China. 

In  1792,  the  insurrection  began  in  St.  Domingo, 
where  his  brothers  had  continued  their  establishment, 
doing  a  prosperous  business  up  to  that  period.  Mr. 
James  Perkins,  the  eldest  brother,  and  his  wife,  were 
in  a  perilous  situation  at  the  beginning  of  it,  being  in 
the  interior  on  a  visit  to  a  friend  who  had  a  plantation, 
next  to  the  one  first  destroyed,  on  the  plains  of  the  cape. 
They  made  their  escape,  however,  from  the  frightful 
treatment  which  awaited  all  who  lingered,  and  reached 
the  cape.  But  things  grew  worse.  The  place  was 
taken  by  the  insurgents,  and  burned ;  and  the  inhabi 
tants  were  obliged  to  get  away  in  the  best  manner 
they  coul3.  This,  of  course,  broke  up  his  brothers' 
establishment.  Their  store  was  burned  by  the  blacks, 
with  its  contents,  which  were  valuable.  This,  how 
ever,  was  not  the  worst ;  as  the  planters  were  largely 
in  debt  to  the  house,  and  their  means  of  paying 
destroyed.  The  brothers  (James  and  Samuel  G.) 
returned  to  Boston,  having  lost  most  of  their  property, 
to  begin  the  world  anew.  He  then  formed  a  copart 
nership,  under  the  firm  of  J.  and  T.  H.  Perkins,  with 
his  brother  James,  which  continued  until  the  death 
of  the  latter  in  1822,  though  the  name  of  the  firm 
was  altered  on  the  admission  of  their  sons  in  1819. 
They  used  the  information  which  had  been  acquired 
at  St.  Domingo  with  advantage,  by  keeping  two  or 
three  vessels  trading  to  the  West  Indies,  >and  shipping 
coffee  and  sugar  to  Europe. 

But  their  most  important  business  was  the  trade  of 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKI1  ,.  45 

their  ships  on  the  north-west  coast  and  in  China. 
They  were  concerned  in  numerous  voyages  in  that 
direction ;  and  eventually  established  a  house  at  Can 
ton,  under  the  firm  of  Perkins  and  Co.,  which  became 
one  of  great  importance,  and  eminently  successful. 

In  December,  1794,  he  took  passage  for  Bourdeaux 
in  a  ship  belonging  to  his  own  house  and  that  of 
Messrs.  S.  Higginson  and  Co.,  in  which  firm  his  brother, 
Mr.  S.  G.  Perkins,  had  become  a  partner,  with  a  cargo 
of  provisions ;  the  demand  for  them  in  the  disturbed 
state  of  French  affairs  offering  the  prospect  of  a  fair 
result  to  such  a  voyage.  But  the  depreciation  of  the 
assignats,  and  other  causes,  threatening  to  defeat  their 
hopes,  he  found  it  best  to  continue  abroad  for  some 
time. 

His  voyage  to  France  was  long,  with  boisterous 
weather,  and  some  narrow  escapes,  as  appears  by  the 
following  extracts  from  the  journal  which  he  kept 
at  the  time :  — 

"  Dec.  14,  1794.  Sunday.  —  This  day,  at  nine 
o'clock,  got  under  way  in  the  ship  '  Charlotte,'  with 
the  wind  at  north-west,  blowing  a  fresh  breeze;  and 
at  half-past  ten  o'clock  passed  the  light-house,  and 
put  the  pilot  (Knox)  on  shore :  schooner  6  Rambler ' 
in  company. 

"  15th.  —  A  delightful  breeze  still  continues. 

"  16th.  —  Still  pleasant  weather.  Fell  in  with  a 
shoal  of  porpoises,  and  took  a  couple.  Capt.  Hill, 
in  the  l  Rambler,'  left  us  this  day, — we  being  too  dull 
company  for  his  fast-sailing  schooner. 


46  MEMOIll   OF 

"21st.  — We  did  not  omit  on  Saturday  P.M.,  pre 
cisely  at  ten  minutes  before  five,  —  which  corresponds 
with  four  o'clock  in  Boston,  —  to  remember  the 
Saturday's  club. 

"25th.  —  A  brisk  north-west  wind;  the  sea  more 
smooth  since  we  took  our  leave  of  the  Bank  of  New 
foundland.  It  is  supposed  that  the  fogs,  so  frequent 
on  and  near  this  bank,  are  caused  by  the  waters  of 
the  Gulf  Stream,  driven  as  they  are  from  the  warm 
climates  of  the  West  Indies  to  the  cold  generally 
prevalent  here,  which  condenses  the  vapor  as  it  rises; 
just,  it  is  said,  '  as  the  vapor  from  a  cup  of  tea  is 
hardly  discernible  in  a  warm  room,  but  becomes  visi 
ble  in  the  cold  air.'  In  observing  the  fog  rise  from 
the  water  this  morning,  I  found  that  it  continually 
issued  directly  to  the  leeward  of  the  track  of  the 
ship,  —  which  seems  to  prove  the  justice  of  the  re 
mark.  The  water  is  probably  cooled  on  the  surface 
in  coming  thus  far  eastward  and  northward ;  yet  the 
stirring  up  the  column  below  exposes  it  to  the  cold 
air.  And,  to  follow  the  simile  of  the  tea,  we  may 
observe  even  when  that  is  somewhat  cooled,  and  no 
evaporation  appears,  yet,  if  it  be  stirred  with  the 
spoon,  vapor  rises  on  exposure  to  the  cold  air,  from 
which  it  had  been  defended  by  the  surface. 

"28th. — This  day  fortnight  we  parted  from  Boston, 
and  this  day  at  noon  complete  half  our  distance  from 
the  place  of  our  departure  to  that  of  our  destination. 
This  is  not  doing  bad. 

"  29th.  —  The  number  of  rainbows  we  have  seen 
almost  daily  since  we  have  passed  the  Banks  of  New- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  47 

foundland  is  surprising.  It  is  not  uncommon  to  see 
five  or  six  in  a  day,  the  beauty  of  which  surpasses 
any  thing  I  have  ever  before  seen. 

"31st. — The  wind  continues  to  the  northward;  and 
yet  the  weather  is  as  warm  as  it  generally  is  in  Boston 
Bay  in  autumn.  How  kindly  ordered  is  this  by  Him 
who  orders  and  governs  all  things !  Were  the  ocean, 
off  soundings,  as  subject  to  snow  and  equal  degrees  of 
cold  as  the  land,  it  would  be  impossible  for  vessels  to 
cross  it  in  the  winter  months,  on  account  of  the  ice 
which  would  make  upon  them,  and  cause  them  to 
founder  inevitably.  Besides  this,  the  sailors,  who  are 
without  fire  altogether,  and  who  are  in  blowing  weather 
continually  wet,  would  not  be  able  to  stand  the  decks, 
and  must  leave  them,  to  find  security  against  the 
cold. 

"  This  is  the  last  day  in  the  year,  —  a  melancholy 
anniversary  to  my  family.  Our  first-born  child,  Sally, 
died  Dec.  31. 

"  On  the  deck  of  this  ship  it  is  now  too  warm  for 
pleasure  at  mid-day ;  and  we  have  the  windows,  or 
rather  sky-lights,  —  for  the  cabin  windows  have  been 
closed  by  the  dead-lights  ever  since  we  sailed,  —  open 
at  this  moment. 

"  Jan.  9th.  —  'Tis  rather  mortifying,  to  one  who 
feels  so  anxious  to  get  on  shore  as  I  do,  to  be  rather 
worse  off  in  point  of  situation  than  we  were  a  week 
since;  having  lost  as  much  in  steering  southward 
as  we  gained  in  steering  northward. 

"  The  wind  this  morning  blowing  very  fresh,  and 
a  prospect  of  a  heavy  gale. 


48  MEMOIR    OF 

"  10th.  —  Cloudy  and  unpleasant,  with  rain.  P.M. 
—  Blowing  very  heavy,  and  a  large  sea  running.  At 
ten,  A.M.,  the  wind,  after  a  rainy  night,  shifted  to  the 
southward,  and  promised  us  a  quick  passage  to  our 
port,  which  we  are  now  panting  after;  but,  to  our 
inexpressible  mortification,  it  came  out  again  at  south 
east,  and  continues  to  blow  fresh. 

"15th.  —  Well  may  inconstancy  be  compared  to 
the  winds.  Our  flattering  prospects  of  a  continuance 
of  a  favorable  wind  vanished  when  we  had  scarcely 
begun  to  enjoy  it;  and  it  has  continued  directly  con 
trary  through  this  twenty-four  hours. 

"  16th.  — An  obscure,  rainy  day,  with  a  head  wind, 
blowing  fresh.  At  meridian,  tacked  ship  to  the 
northward.  When  one  becomes  a  voluntary  exile 
from  society,  and  takes  leave  of  those  on  whose 
smiles  his  happiness  depends,  he  is  very  apt  to  ask 
himself  questions,  which  can  be  answered  with  very 
little  satisfaction,  when  it  is  too  late.  This  is  strik 
ingly  my  case ;  and,  were  it  not  unmanly  to  repine, 
I  should  feel  quite  a  disposition  to  do  so. 

"  18th.  —  At  eight  this  morning,  hove  the  ship  to, 
to  sound,  but  found  no  bottom.  The  occasion  for 
sounding  was  the  number  of  land-birds  about  us.  A 
very  beautiful  crow  was  taken  by  the  sailors ;  and 
many  more  were  about  the  ship. 

"  25th.  Three  o'clock,  P.M.  —  Just  as  we  were 
about  to  heave  the  ship  to,  —  the  gale  continuing  to 
increase,  —  a  fleet  of  ships  were  seen  directly  ahead. 
Nineteen  sail  were  counted ;  and  they  extended  their 
line  as  if  it  were  a  large  fleet.  A  heavy  squall  pass- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  49 

ing  us  just  before  dark,  the  ship  was  kept  away  be 
fore  the  wind,  to  avoid  falling  in  with  any  of  these 
ships.  This  we  flattered  ourselves  we  had  succeeded 
in,  until  about  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when  a 
light  was  discovered,  which  appeared  like  the  false 
fire  made  use  of  by  vessels  of  war  for  signals.  We 
wore  ship  immediately,  and  continued  to  see  the  fires 
repeated  for  some  time;  till,  to  our  great  joy,  they 
subsided,  and  we  thought  ourselves  in  security.  Anx 
ious,  however,  lest  we  should  still  run  afoul  of  some 
straggler  of  the  fleet,  I  did  not  venture  to  bed  till 
twelve  o'clock  ;  and  my  mind  had  hardly  got  quieted 
enough  to  sleep,  when  a  number  of  voices  from 
deck  cried,  «  She  is  close  aboard  of  us ! '  and,  from 
all  which  could  be  heard  below,  the  most  fatal  event 
was  to  be  expected.  A  signal  was  thrown  out  by  a 
lantern ;  when  the  ship  saw  us,  and  kept  away.  Those 
who  saw  her  when  nearest,  suppose  she  was  but  a 
few  rods  from  us.  The  rigging  was  very  plainly  seen 
even  when  I  reached  the  deck ;  which  I  did  with  the 
utmost  haste,  and  but  few  clothes  on,  as  there  seemed 
every  reason  to  expect  the  ship  would  run  us  down ; 
and  those  who  could  escape  by  getting  on  board  of 
her  would  alone  save  themselves. 

"  It  pleased  Him  c  who  caters  for  the  sparrow  '  that 
we  should  escape  this  sad  alternative.  I  never  re 
member  to  have  passed  such  a  night  before,  and  hope 
I  never  shall  such  another. 

"  The  gale  was  very  heavy,  and  the  night  dark  as 
possible.  Had  the  ship  not  shown  her  light, — which 
she  did  every  half-hour,  —  we  should  not  have  seen 

7 


50  MEMOIR   OF 

her,  and  of  course  not  shown  a  signal ;  and  the  event 
would  no  doubt  have  proved  fatal  to  us.  We  were 
lying  to  when  we  saw  her.  We  were  happy  at  the 
return  of  morning,  when  there  was  no  sail  in  sight. 
The  gale  did  not  abate  till  about  meridian. 

"  25th.  Sunday.  —  Tis  now  six  weeks  since  we 
left  Boston ;  and  we  are  doubtless  supposed  by  our 
friends  to  have  arrived  ere  this. 

"  26th.  —  This  day  makes  but  seventeen  days  of 
fair  wind  since  we  sailed ;  and  of  course  we  have  had 
twenty-eight  days'  head  wind. 

"  28th.  —  A  strong  breeze,  but  fortunately  the 
right  way.  At  four,  P.M.,  the  wind  increased  to  such 
a  height  as  obliged  us  to  heave  to,  although  a  fair 
wind,  —  which  is  rather  mortifying ;  but  the  immense 
sea  which  is  running  makes  it  necessary,  the  decks 
being  continually  loaded  with  water. 

"  At  about  eleven  o'clock  at  night,  it  blew  as  heavy 
a  gale  as  we  have  had  since  we  have  been  out,  and 
after  that  time  began  to  moderate. 

"  At  six  o'clock,  sounded,  and  got  bottom  in  about 
eighty  fathoms,  —  white  and  brown  coral,  shells,  and 
small  stones.  The  captain's  reckoning  hindered  him 
from  running  the  latter  part  of  the  night,  as  he  did 
not  like  to  be  too  near  shore,  should  it  continue  to 
blow.  Sounded  at  eight  o'clock :  eighty  fathoms. 
Small,  gray  sand,  with  small  pieces  of  dark-colored 
shells.  Kept  on  our  course. 

"  29th.  —  I  passed  a  very  anxious  night ;  and  sleep 
was  a  stranger  to  my  eyes  but  for  a  short  time. 

"  At  daylight,  saw  the  land,  and  considered   our- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  51 

selves  about  ten  miles  distant.  At  about  eight 
o'clock,  it  began  to  snow  and  blow;  the  ship  con 
tinuing  south-east,  and  we  under  as  much  sail  as  the 
ship  will  bear,  running  off  shore. 

"  '  How  happy  a  sailor's  life  passes  ! '  says  the  song ; 
but,  if  this  is  happiness,  let  me  seek  mine  in  another 
way. 

"  30th.  —  Hove  to  in  a  gale. 

"  Feb.  1st.  Sunday.  —  At  eight  o'clock,  stood  in 
for  the  land,  with  a  good  breeze  after  midnight,  in 
company  with  a  Dutchman,  whom  we  spoke,  and  who 
told  us  he  had  been  five  weeks  in  the  bay.  This 
served  to  reconcile  us  to  the  passage  we  have  had, 
tedious  as  it  has  now  become.  At  noon,  saw  a 
quantity  of  staves,  the  quarter-deck  of  a  vessel,  and 
other  timber,  floating  on  the  water.  Very  anxious, 
for  fear  we  should  not  get  in  with  the  land  in  time  to 
get  a  pilot.  -7 

"  Monday  morning,  Feb.  2,  lltyf-  —  At  one  o'clock 
yesterday  afternoon,  losing  all  hopes  of  getting  in 
before  night,  all  the  vessels  in  company  stood  upon  a 
wind  to  the  northward.  I  little  expected  what  were 
the  dangers  to  which  I  was  to  be  exposed  this  night ; 
which  I  am  certain  was  the  most  perilous  I  ever 
passed,  or  perhaps  ever  shall.  The  distance  we  were 
from  the  shore,  when  we  hove  about,  could  not  be 
more  than  five  or  six  miles  at  the  extent.  The  wind 
continued  to  blow  from  four  o'clock,  and,  from  a 
fresh  breeze,  came  to  a  most  violent  gale.  The  sea 
ran  so  high  that  we  expected  every  moment  to  have 
the  decks  swept ;  and  the  ocean  appeared  like  one 


MEMOIR    OF 


continued  wave  breaking  over  rocks.  All  probability 
of  our  saving  ourselves  now  depended  upon  carrying 
sail  upon  the  ship  ;  which  we  did  so  as  to  bury  her  in 
the  waves.  Our  greatest  apprehension  was,  lest  we 
should  have  some  of  our  sail  blown  away  ;  in  which 
case,  inevitable  destruction  must  have  been  our  lot. 
The  number  of  vessels  in  company,  too,  was  another 
cause  of  uneasiness.  We  saw  only  one  in  the  hardest 
part  of  the  gale.  After  nine  o'clock,  presuming,  from 
the  course  we  had  been  obliged  to  run,  that  we  must 
soon  be  on  shore  on  that  tack,  we  wore  ship,  and 
stood  on  the  other  tack;  the  wind  blowing  still 
directly  on  shore.  After  midnight,  the  wind  abated, 
to  our  great  joy.  We  were  all  truly  sensible  of  the 
danger  to  which  we  had  been  exposed  ;  and  every  one 
declared  he  had  never  seen  such  a  night  before.  A 
lee  shore  within  a  few  miles,  and  a  heavy  gale  blow 
ing  directly  on,  to  one  who  has  so  many  blessings  to 
live  for,  and  who  is  so  well  satisfied  with  his  lot  in 
life,  was  to  me  distressing.  For  several  hours  I  was 
in  this  awful  state  of  suspense;  and  my  reflections 
were  not  the  most  agreeable.  Had  necessity  urged 
me  from  home,  it  would  have  been  different.  I  should 
have  been  satisfied  with  having  been  in  the  line  of 
my  duty,  and  should  have  put  a  better  face  on  it  than 
I  was  now  able  to  do. 

"  Tuesday  morning.  —  We  stood  in  shore,  anxious 
lest  we  should  again  be  too  late.  At  ten  o'clock,  we 
saw  many  vessels  standing  in  ;  and,  at  eleven,  made  the 
light,  but  saw  no  pilots  come  off.  Finding  ourselves 
in  shore,  and  the  wind  blowing  directly  on,  our  only 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  53 

alternative  was  to  go  in  at  all  events.  Accordingly, 
we  put  our  confidence  in  a  chart,  and  were  so  for 
tunate  as  to  get  up  the  river  past  the  light-house ; 
when,  doubling  the  point,  a  pilot  came  off  to  us  when 
all  danger  was  past.  In  this  we  are  fortunate  to  a 
degree  beyond  our  expectations.  We  were  visited  by 
a  vessel  stationed  a  few  leagues  up  the  river ;  and  the 
officer  took  a  note  of  our  cargo,  and  left  us.  The 
pilot  tells  us  there  is  an  American  brig  lost  on  the 
rocks  in  the  mouth  of  the  river ;  and  we  are  anxious 
for  our  friend  Gray.  He  says  we  are  very  fortunate 
not  to  have  been  in  sooner,  as  those  vessels  which 
arrived  ten  days  since  have  been  in  imminent  danger 
of  being  driven  on  shore  by  the  ice,  and  have  been 
obliged  to  cut  their  cables  and  run  on  shore  to  save 
themselves  ;  so  that  we  know  not  when  we  go  too  fast 
or  too  slow." 

His  observations  while  he  remained  in  France,  and 
the  occurrences  in  which  he  became  concerned,  were 
of  an  interesting  character.  He  made  full  notes  at 
the  time ;  but  the  following  account^Jaken  from 
the  memoranda  already  referred  to,  in  a  week  of 
leisure  long  afterwards,  and  commencing  thus:  — 

"TO    MY    CHILDREN. 

"  SARATOGA  SPRINGS,  July  18,  1846. 

"  It  has  often  occurred  to  me,  that  it  would  have 
given  me  infinite  pleasure  to  have  known  more  than 
has  come  to  my  knowledge  of  the  early  life  of  my 
father.  He  died  when  I  was  about  six  years  of  age ; 


54  MEMOIR    OF 

and  all  I  know  of  him  is  from  report.  My  recollec 
tions  of  him  are  very  faint ;  though  I  have  an  impres 
sion  that  I  remember  him  in  an  emaciated  state 
shortly  before  his  death." 

After  narrating,  for  the  information  of  his  family, 
some  incidents  of  his  early  life,  —  part  of  which  have 
been  already  mentioned,  —  he  proceeds  to  relate  the 
occurrences  that  followed  this  voyage  to  France,  as 
follows :  — 

"I  remained  in  Europe  from  December,  1794,  to 
October,  1795,  —  a  very  interesting  period  of  the 
French  Revolution.  What  was  called  'The  Moun 
tain  '  in  the  convention,  had  been  prostrated  in  some 
degree  by  the  fall  of  Robespierre,  the  principal  mover 
in  the  most  bloody  scenes  of  the  revolution.  He  en 
deavored  to  destroy  himself;  but  failed,  and  left  the 
final  act  to  the  guillotine.  This  instrument  had  done 
execution  on  thousands  through  his  influence;  and 
retributive  justice  was  satisfied  in  the  fate  which  ex 
piated  his  crimes. 

"  France  was  by  no  means  in  a  quiet  state  when 
I  reached  Bourdeaux;  and,  in  travelling  with  the 
courier  day  and  night,  we  passed  so  near  the  theatre 
of  war  in  La  Vendee  as  to  hear  the  reports  of  the 
cannon  of  the  belligerent  parties.  If  we  had  been 
fallen  in  with  by  the  Vendeens,  we  should  doubtless 
have  had  our  throats  cut,  as  public  agents  and  bearers 
of  despatches  from  one  province  to  another.  We 
escaped,  however,  unharmed;  though  the  fate  we 


THOMAS    HANDASYD   PERKINS.  55 

feared  befell  the  courier  a  few  nights  after  we  passed. 
During  my  stay  in  Europe,  my  time  was  passed  princi 
pally  in  Paris,  where  I  had  rooms  in  the  same  hotel 
with  my  friend  Mr.  Joseph  Russell.  We  kept  a  car 
riage  between  us,  —  always  visiting  or  travelling  to 
gether.  It  was  a  new  English  chariot,  which  had 
been  left  behind  by  some  traveller  on  the  breaking 
out  of  the  war,  and  was  in  perfect  order.  We  found 
it  of  great  convenience  while  in  the  city;  as  public 
carriages  were  not  easily  had,  and  no  private  ones 
were  kept  by  any  Frenchmen.  Indeed,  they  were 
kept  by  very  few  except  by  foreign  ambassadors. 

"  There  were  in  Paris  several  Americans  of  my 
acquaintance  besides  Mr.  Russell.  We  used  to  dine 
at  a  restorateur,  and  breakfast  at  home ;  the  wife  of 
the  porter  of  the  hotel  furnishing  our  coffee.  There 
was  a  great  scarcity  of  breadstuffs  during  the  winter 
and  spring.  It  was  produced  partly  by  the  farmers 
having  their  ploughshares  turned  into  swords,  partly 
by  the  waste  attendant  on  war,  and  in  part  by  an 
unwillingness  to  sell  for  assignats,  which  were  con 
stantly  declining  in  value.  The  whole  population  of 
Paris  was  placed  under  restriction ;  and  each  family 
received  a  certain  quantity  per  day  from  the  public 
bakers  at  a  fixed  price.  The  hotels  gave  in  their 
number  of  guests,  for  whom  they  drew  the  stipulated 
quantity;  and  those  who  dined  out  had  their  bread 
carried  to  the  place  where  they  dined.  I  dined  almost 
every  Saturday  with  the  minister  of  the  United  States, 
where  I  was  in  the  habit  of  meeting  distinguished 
men. 


56  MEMOIR   OF 

"  I  had  little  business  to  do  in  Paris ;  and  leisure, 
therefore,  to  observe  what  was  passing.  Having  sold 
the  cargo,  or  the  principal  part  of  it,  to  government, 
I  had  little  else  to  do  for  months  than  to  dance  at 
tendance  upon  the  bureau  which  had  the  adjustment 
of  the  account ;  and  was  finally  obliged  to  leave  the 
matter  to  the  care  of  a  friend. 

"After  the  fall  of  Robespierre,  the  revolutionary 
tribunal,  of  which  Fouquier  Tinville  was  the  accu- 
sateur-public,  —  like  our  attorney-general,  —  being 
abolished,  he,  with  five  judges  and  ten  jurymen,  in  all 
sixteen,  were  executed  in  the  Place  de  Greve  by  that 
operation  which  they  had  inflicted  on  men,  women, 
and  even  children,  for  pretended  crimes.  I  went  with 
Mr.  Russell,  Mr.  Higginson,  and  several  others,  and 
secured  a  room,  the  nearest  we  could  get  to  the  place 
of  execution,  that  we  might  witness  it  closely.  The 
prisoners  arrived  in  two  carts ;  from  which  they  were 
taken  out,  and  placed  in  the  room  directly  under 
the  scaffold.  From  there  they  were  taken,  one 
by  one,  and,  by  a  ladder  of  eight  or  ten  feet, 
were  brought  to  the  instrument,  and  decapitated. 
The  attorney-general  was  the  last  to  suffer,  and  must 
have  felt  at  the  fall  of  the  axe  in  every  execution  as 
much  as  he  felt  when  his  turn  came.  They  all  met 
their  fate  without  a  struggle,  except  a  man  —  one 
of  the  judges  - —  who  had  been  of  the  noblesse  of 
the  country,  and  whose  name  was  Le  Roi,  which  he 
had,  by  decree  of  the  convention,  changed  to  Dix  Aout, 
or  Tenth  of  August,  after  the  assault  upon  the  Tui- 
leries  on  that  memorable  day,  when  the  Swiss  and  the 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  57 

king's  immediate  attendants  were  so  shamefully  mur 
dered  by  the  populace  of  Paris.  This  man  died 
game,  but  kept  vociferating  his  execrations  upon  his 
executioner  until  he  was  silenced  by  the  fall  of  the 
axe. 

"  This  mode  of  execution  is  certainly  merciful,  in 
asmuch  as  its  work  is  soon  done.  From  the  time  the 
prisoners  descended  from  the  carts,  until  their  heads 
were  all  in  long  baskets,  placed  in  the  same  carts 
with  the  lifeless  trunks,  was  fourteen  minutes.  Two 
minutes  were  lost  by  changing  the  carts ;  so  that,  if  all 
the  remains  could  have  been  placed  in  one  basket, 
but  twelve  minutes  would  have  been  required  for  be 
heading  the  sixteen  persons !  The  square  was  filled 
with  people.  Great  numbers  of  the  lowest  classes  — 
and  the  low  class  of  women  were  the  most  vociferous 
—  were  there,  clapping  and  huzzaing  with  every  head 
that  fell.  These  were  the  same  people  who  sang 
hallelujahs  on  the  deaths  of  those  who  had  been  con 
demned  to  the  guillotine  by  the  very  tribunal  who  had 
now  paid  the  debt  they  owed  to  the  city;  for  their 
convictions  were  principally  of  the  city.  Other 
wretches  of  the  same  stamp  were  acting  their  in 
fernal  parts  in  different  departments  of  France. 
Notwithstanding  the  deserts  of  this  most  execrable 
court,  the  exhibition  was  horrid  to  my  feelings,  how 
ever  deserved  the  fate  of  the  culprits. 

"Mr.  Monroe,  the  minister  of  the  United  States, 
told  me  that  he  wished  a  service  to  be  rendered  by 
some  one,  and  felt  great  interest  that  I  should  give 
my  aid  to  it.  The  object  was,  that  I  should  aid  in 

v      8 


58  MEMOIR    OF 

sending  Mr.  George  Washington  La  Fayette  to  the 
United  States.  His  mother,  the  Marchioness  La 
Fayette,  was  then  in  Paris  with  her  daughters,  and 
Mr.  Frestal,  their  tutor.  Mr.  Monroe  gave  me  a 
letter  to  her;  and  I  found  her  lodged  in  the  third 
story,  in  the  Rue  de  1'Arbre  Sec.  She  explained  her 
object  to  me ;  which  was,  to  get  her  son  sent  to  the 
United  States,  to  prevent  him  from  being  drawn  by 
the  conscription  into  the  army.  He  was  then  four 
teen  years  of  age.  The  proposal  she  made  to  me 
was,  that  I  should  apply  to-  the  Convention  for  per 
mission  to  procure  a  passport  for  her  son  to  go  to 
America,  for  the  purpose  of  his  being  educated  in  a 
counting-house.  As  the  marquis  was  in  bad  odor  in 
France,  it  was  deemed  necessary  to  sink  the  real 
name  of  the  party,  and  to  apply  to  the  Committee  of 
Safety  for  a  passport  for  G.  W.  Motier,  this  being  a 
name  of  his  family  which  he  had  a  right  to  assume. 
Madame  La  Fayette  was  intimately  acquainted  with 
Boissy  d'Anglas,  the  president  of  the  committee,  and  one 
of  the  old  aristocracy  of  France;  and  from,  him  she 
had  assurance,  that,  if  the  application  were  made  by  an 
American,  it  would  be  favorably  received.  The  mar 
quis  was  at  the  time  prisoner  in  the  Castle  of  Olmutz, 
in  Austria ;  and  the  object  of  madame  was  to  go  to 
him  with  her  daughters,  and  solace  him  in  his  deplo 
rable  confinement,  where  his  health  was  suffering. 

"  The  application  to  the  committee  was  complied 
with ;  and  my  friend  Mr.  Kussell,  who  took  an  active 
part  in  aiding  in  the  plan,  accompanied  George  La 
Fayette  to  Havre,  where  was  an  American  ship  in 


THOMAS   HAND  AS  YD   PERKINS.  59 

which  I  had  an  interest,  commanded  by  Capt.  Thomas  ,; 
Sturgis,  brother  to  Mr.  R.  Sturgis,  who  married  my  j 
eldest  sister.  To  him  I  gave  letters,  requesting  that 
Mr.  La  Fayette  might  have  a  passage  in  the  ship, 
which  was  freely  accorded:  Mr.  Russell  and  myself 
paid  the  expense  of  the  journey  and  the  passage ;  and 
Mr.  La  Fayette  arrived  in  Boston,  where  he  was  cor 
dially  received  by  my  family,  and  passed  some  time 
there.  He  afterwards  went  to  Mount  Vernon,  and 
lived  in  the  family  of  General  Washington,  until,  in 
the  following  year,  he  returned  to  Europe,  when  he 
entered  the  revolutionary  army. 

"  He  served  with  reputation ;  but,  as  the  name  was 
not  a  favorite  one  with  the  existing  leaders,  he  was 
kept  in  the  background  by  the  influence  of  General 
Bonaparte ;  and  retired,  after  a  year  or  two  of  service, 
to  private  life.  He  is  yet  living  (1846),  and  has  been 
a  member  of  the  House  of  Deputies  since  the  fall  of 
Bonaparte. 

"Madame  La  Fayette  went  to  Austria,  and  re 
mained  with  her  husband  up  to  the  time  of  his  libera 
tion.  Immediately  after  his  being  set  at  liberty,  he 
wrote  me  a  letter,  dated  at  Olmutz,  thanking  me  for 
the  share  I  had  taken  in  enabling  his  wife  to  visit 
him  in  his  distress,  and  declaring  that  I  had  been  the 
means  of  saving  his  life  by  the  means  used  in  restor 
ing  his  family  to  him.  This  letter  is  now  in  the  pos 
session  of  Mrs.  Bates,  of  London,  to  whom  I  gave  it 
as  an  interesting  article  for  her  portfolio." 

The  following   passages  from  the  diary  which  he 


60  MEMOIR   OF 

kept  in  Paris  at  this  time  have  considerable  interest 
when  taken  in  connection  with  what  it  appears 
was  then  done  to  promote  the  wishes  of  Madame  de 
La  Fayette.  It  will  be  observed,  that  there  is  no 
reference  in  this  journal  —  written  as  it  was  with  the 
hazard  of  its  falling  by  treachery  into  the  hands  of' 
some  spy  —  to  the  subject  which  so  deeply  concerned 
that  unfortunate  lady.  When  he  calls  on  her,  when 
she  breakfasts  with  him,  or  he  goes  with  Mr.  Russell 
to  see  him  off  for  Havre,  there  is  no  allusion  to  the 
youth  who  accompanied  the  latter,  and  on  whose  escape 
her  happiness  and  the  welfare  of  the  marquis  so  far 
depended. 

"Old  style.  Paris,  March  12,  1795.  22d  Ven- 
tose.  —  I  left  Bourdeaux  with  the  courier,  and  in  six 
days  and  a  half  arrived  at  this  seat  of  luxury  and  dis 
sipation,  where  every  thing  is  on  a  large  scale,  and 
the  scenes  of  business  and  amusement  are  so  nume 
rous  that  it  is  apt  to  bewilder  the  head  of  a  young 
traveller. 

"  My  business  has  so  much  taken  up  my  time  since 
I  arrived  in  Paris,  that  I  have  neglected  to  keep  a 
note  of  the  time  as  it  passed,  that  at  a  future  day 
I  may  have  it  in  my  power  to  recall  to  my  memory 
some  things  which  would  escape  it  were  this  mode 
neglected. 

"  I  am  not  a  great  lover  of  bustle  and  the  amuse 
ments  of  the  city,  but  rather  admire  the  country  round 
it,  which  is  always  cultivated  and  embellished  in  pro 
portion  to  the  magnificence  of  the  city  in  the  vicinity 


THOMAS   HANDASYD   PERKINS.  61 

of  which  it  is  situated.  The  thousand  ideas  that  have 
revolved  in  my  mind  within  a  few  years,  respecting 
this  great  theatre  of  the  revolution,  are  all  ushered 
into  my  thoughts  together,  upon  coming  into  the  part 
of  the  city  which  shows  the  places  where  the  great 
scenes  have  been  acted;  such  as  the  Palace  of  the 
Tuileries,  the  Elysian  Fields,  £c.  The  bridges  in 
front  of  the  palace  are  beautiful,  and  add  much  to  the 
beauty  of  the  prospect  from  the  neighboring  houses. 
The  first  time  I  walked  over  the  Pont  Neuf,  I  felt  the 
force  of  Sterne's  story  of  the  notary,  who,  clapping 
his  cane  to  his  head,  tipped  the  sentinel's  hat  into  the 
river.  My  hand  went  instinctively  to  my  head,  and 
my  hat  had  nigh  gone  after  the  sentinel's.  There 
seems  to  be  always  a  current  of  wind  there;  and  every 
one  takes  the  precaution  the  notary  did  in  walking 
over  it. 

"  24th.  —  The  day  pleasant.  This  day  I  dined  with 
the  American  minister,  whom  I  find  to  be  a  very  gen 
tleman-like,  and,  to  appearance,  worthy  man.  The 
celebrated  Van  Staphorst,  who  was  exiled  for  his 
republicanism  from  Amsterdam,  was  there,  and  seve 
ral  other  gentlemen  of  distinction.  Mrs.  Monroe  is 
one  of  the  finest  women  I  ever  knew ;  and  she  is 
said  to  combine  the  greatest  worth  with  her  personal 
accomplishments  and  beauty. 

"  25th.  —  The  morning  is  again  clear,  for  a  wonder, 
and  promises  well  for  a  pleasant  day.  Yesterday  gave 
me  news  of  the  "  Betsy's  "  arrival  at  Bourdeaux ;  and 
the  same  post  informed  me  that  the  brig  "  Delight " 
was  taken  and  carried  to  England.  'Tis  well  not  to 
have  extremes  of  good  and  ill  fortune. 


62  MEMOIR   OF 

"  I  went  yesterday  through  the  Palace  of  the  Tuile- 
ries,  which  was  the  one  occupied  by  the  royal  family 
when  at  Paris,  which  I  am  told  was  but  seldom,  as  their 
time  was  chiefly  spent  at  Versailles.  The  apartment 
of  the  ci-devant  queen  was  pointed  out  to  me :  it  wears 
the  marks  of  the  violence  of  the  tenth  of  August. 
The  appearance  of  the  palace  is  very  majestic,  and, 
when  kept  in  good  order,  must  have  been  superior  to 
any  other  in  Europe.  The  gardens  in  the  rear,  and 
the  Champs  Elysees,  make  one  think  one's  self  on 
enchanted  ground.  All  the  rooms  in  the  palace  are 
taken  up  with  committees  and  the  assembly-house. 
I  had  formed  an  idea  of  the  room  in  which  the  Con 
vention  sit  as  immensely  large ;  and  indeed  it  must  be 
large  to  contain  seven  hundred  members  on  the  lower 
floor ;  but  the  galleries  and  the  tribunes  are  small  in 
proportion  to  what  one  would  suppose  from  the  great 
noise  they  have  made,  and  the  terror  they  have  created. 
The  part  called  the  Mountain  does  not  appear  to  me 
to  be  capable  of  holding  above  four  or  five  hundred 
persons.  A  large  majority  of  the  people  in  the  gal 
leries  at  the  Convention  are  women,  of  all  ages  and 
conditions  ;  most  of  whom  are  said  to  be  hired  to  go 
there  to  approve  or  disapprove  certain  measures,  as 
they  may  be  for  or  against  the  party  by  which  they 
are  sent.  It  is  certainly  a  very  unfair  influence ;  and 
I  wonder  at  its  being  countenanced  by  the  Conven 
tion. 

"  The  members  of  the  Convention  wear  their  hats, 
and  stroll  about  as  their  whims  may  call  them.  They 
begin  business  at  about  one  o'clock,  and  finish  at  four 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS.  63 

o'clock,  unless  something  of  importance  prevents  them 
from  adjourning.  In  the  time  of  Robespierre,  the  ma 
jority  of  the  people  in  the  galleries  were,  as  at  present, 
women ;  but  I  am  told  they  were  very  ill-dressed,  and 
their  vociferations  at  times  were  such  as  to  prevent  busi 
ness.  The  leaders  in  the  galleries  at  this  time  are  the 
Jeunes  Gens,  who  talk  loud,  and  approve  or  disapprove 
with  great  warmth.  The  American  and  French  colors 
are  suspended  over  the  chair  of  the  president.  I  had 
an  idea  that  every  member  who  spoke  was  obliged  to 
go  into  the  tribune,  —  which  is  an  elevation  in  front 
of  the  seats  of  the  members  ;  but  I  find  that  this 
is  optional.  Any  one  who  intends  to  speak  long,  or 
wishes  to  make  himself  well  heard,  mounts  the  tri 
bune  ;  but  they  speak  also  from  their  seats. 

"  Barrere,  Collot  d'Herbois,  Vadier  and  his  col 
league,  have  not  yet  had  their  trials.  Their  fate  is 
pronounced,  by  every  one  I  have  conversed  with, 
inevitable.  That  Collot  d'Herbois  merits  it,  no  one 
will  doubt  who  hears  the  facts  related  respecting  his 
conduct  at  Lyons. 

"  Louis  were  two  hundred  and  four  livres  two  days 
since :  they  are  to-day  one  hundred  and  fifty. 

"  26th.  —  The  morning  charmingly  pleasant.  A 
decree  was  this  day  issued  to  serve  the  inhabitants  of 
the  city  with  but  one  pound  of  bread  for  each  indi 
vidual  in  a  family.  This,  to  a  Frenchman,  is  starva 
tion;  although  children  are  entitled  to  the  same  as 
a  grown  person,  and  of  course,  in  a  large  family 
where  there  are  children,  the  quantity  will  be  greater 
to  adults  than  a  pound  per  day,  —  which,  to  an 


64  MEMOIR    OF 

American,  would  be  more  than  he  wanted.  Bread 
is  given  out  at  Paris  for  three  sous  per  pound; 
whereas  in  all  the  other  departments  they  are  pay 
ing  ten  times  that  sum.  This,  however,  has  always 
been  the  case  in  this  metropolis,  where  the  poor 
govern,  or  where  they  would  govern,  and  with  a  rod 
of  iron,  were  they  in  want  of  the  staff  of  life.  This 
was  done  under  the  old  government,  when  it  was  sup 
posed  that  the  will  of  the  government  could  not  be 
overawed  by  the  people ;  and  therefore  it  is  not  sur 
prising  that  the  Convention  is  obliged  to  do  the  same 
under  the  dominion  of  Liberty  and  Equality.  This 
fact  is  not  pleasing  to  the  other  great  cities  of  the 
republic,  which  are  obliged  to  pay  twenty  shillings 
per  pound  for  the  same  article,  and  by  the  same 
government ;  but  Paris,  it  seems,  must  be  indulged  in 
those  things.  The  plenty  in  the  markets  in  the  city, 
of  meats  generally,  and  particularly  of  poultry  of  the 
best  kind  I  ever  saw,  is  surprising  ;  and,  in  the  public 
houses,  every  thing  which  speaks  plenty  is  displayed 
in  profusion. 

"  27th.  —  The  morning  fair ;  but  the  day,  after  nine 
o'clock,  rainy  and  unpleasant.  There  are  eighteen 
theatres  open  every  night  in  this  great,  this  immense 
city ;  and  what  is  still  more  astonishing  is,  that  they 
are  all  crowded ;  and,  when  a  favorite  piece  is  to  be 
given,  it  is  necessary  to  apply  for  tickets  early  in  the 
day.  The  Opera  House  is  the  most  beautiful  I  have 
yet  seen;  and  the  dancing  is  so  far  beyond  what  I 
had  before  seen,  that  it  appeared  to  me  like  magic. 
The  opera  of '  Telemachus '  was  performed  a  few  even- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  65 

ings  since,  to  the  delight  of  every  one.  The  charac 
ter  of  Calypso  was  supported  by  a  woman  of  an 
elegant  appearance  and  fine  action,  and  whose  tout 
ensemble  is  thought  better  than  that  of  any  other  per 
son  who  appears  on  the  stage.  I  am  told  she  was 
carried  through  the  streets,  in  the  reign  of  the  tyrant 
Robespierre,  in  the  character  and  as  the  representa 
tion  of  the  Almighty.  Telemachus  was  supported  by 
the  famous  dancer  Vestris.  The  nymphs,  upwards  of 
forty  in  number,  were  dressed  with  all  the  wanton 
ness  imaginable :  their  dancing,  too,  is,  to  us  Ameri 
cans,  indecent  in  the  extreme. 

"  There  appears  to  be  no  want  of  persons  to  fill  up 
the  play,  and  to  give  it  all  its  effect.  For  instance, 
the  other  evening,  in  some  piece  which  was  given, 
there  was  a  well-disciplined  company  of  forty-eight, 
rank  and  file,  accompanied  by  another  company  of 
archers  introduced  on  the  stage,  who  went  through  a 
number  of  evolutions  to  a  charm.  Upwards  of  one 
hundred  persons  were  on  the  stage  at  one  time. 

"  Every  piece  is  replete  with  patriotic  sentiments ; 
and  since  the  fall  of  the  Jacobins,  who  are  styled  the 
drinkers  of  blood,  scarcely  a  piece  appears  which 
does  not  contain  some  severity  against  them.  The 
bonnet  rouge^  which  was  once  so  much  in  fashion  in 
France,  is  no  longer  worn :  indeed,  it  would  be  dan 
gerous  for  a  man  to  be  seen  with  one  in  the  streets. 
The  revolution  which  has  taken  place  in  respect  to 
the  Jacobins  is  astonishing.  They  who  ruled  France, 
and  with  a  rod  of  iron,  are  now  afraid  to  appear  in 
the  streets ;  for  they  are  scouted  wherever  they  are 

9 


66  MEMOIR   OF 

met,  and  it  is  as  much  as  their  lives  are  worth  to  be 
seen  abroad.  Whenever  one  has  been  found  in  the 
play-house,  he  has  been  made  to  run  the  gantlet,  and 
was  glad  to  get  off  so. 

"  28th  Ventose.  —  The  weather  more  unpleasant 
than  yesterday ;  and,  this  morning,  snow  and  rain  fell 
in  a  small  quantity.  It  is  said  that  the  Committee 
of  Salut  Public  is  occupied  with  some  negotiations  of 
peace  with  the  kings  of  Prussia  and  Spain ;  and  it 
seems  to  be  the  general  opinion,  that  the  '  conceited 
John  Bull'  (as  the  Parisians  say)  and  the  emperor 
will  be  obliged  to  hold  the  field,  or  rather  to  fly  it 
alone.  We  are  told  here  that  the  '  infatuated  Pitt '  is 
making  great  exertions  to  carry  on  the  ensuing  cam 
paign  with  vigor.  c  Madness  cannot  be  greater  than 
this,'  say  the  Parisians. 

"About  eight  hundred  persons  went  yesterday  to 
the  Convention  to  complain  of  their  allowance  of 
bread,  and  used  some  expressions  which  three  months 
since  would  have  sent  them  all  to  the  guillotine.  The 
speaker  for  the  multitude  said,  among  other  things, 
that  they  almost  repented  their  exertions  to  effect  the 
revolution,  which  was  attended  with  so  many  evils. 
The  reply  of  the  president  was  spirited,  and  the  Con 
vention  showed  a  great  degree  of  indignation  on  the 
occasion.  In  lieu  of  having  the  honors  of  a  sitting, 
as  has  been  usual,  they  were  advised  to  retire  to  their 
labors  peacefully.  The  patrols  have  been  increased 
since  the  deficiency  of  bread,  and  also  the  guards  of 
the  city. 

"  29th.  — -  This  morning  it  rained  for  an  hour,  and 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  67 

the  weather  through  the  day  has  been  very  unplea 
sant.  This  day  confirmed  my  opinion  of  the  perfidy 
of  some  of  the  agents  of  the  government.  Although 
the  contract  I  made  with  them  was  signed,  they  now 
make  difficulties,  and  wish  to  alter  the  tenor  of  the 
agreement. 

"  I  was  this  morning  at  the  Convention,  and  was 
astonished  at  the  intemperance  which  discovered  itself 
in  a  debate  which  took  place  there.  I  was  in  the  up 
permost  tribune,  and  could  hear  very  little  that  was 
said,  so  distinctly  as  to  understand  the  subject  of  de 
bate.  Lecointre,  who  was  in  the  tribune,  and  had 
the  '  parole,'  was  interrupted  every  moment.  The  two 
parties  showed  themselves  pro  and  con.;  and  their 
gestures  and  tones  would  have  led  one  to  suppose 
that  they  would  be  at  fisticuffs  every  moment.  The 
president  rang  his  bell  for  a  minute  at  a  time,  but  all 
to  no  effect ;  and  I  expected  to  see  his  hat  go  on  every 
minute.  Order  was  at  length  restored,  and  the  orator 
proceeded.  This,  I  am  told,  happens  every  day ;  but 
I  doubt  if  it  does  to  such  a  degree.  Every  member 
was  up  and  speaking  at  the  same  time,  in  a  tone  of 
thunder ;  and  the  threats  which  their  motions  led  me 
to  believe  they  made  use  of  would  with  us  not  have 
ended  there.  This  kind  of  management  in  a  legisla 
tive  assembly  is  most  certainly  wrong  and  disgraceful ; 
at  least,  it  appears  so  to  an  American  spectator. 

"  I  am  told  most  of  the  business  of  the  Republic  is 
executed  by  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety,  which 
consists  of  but  twelve  persons.  This  committee  may 
be  called  the  Executive  of  the  Government.  It  is 


68  MEMOIR    OF 

appointed  by  the  Convention,  and  is  removable  at  the 
pleasure  of  that  body ;  while  its  proceedings  must  be 
approved  by  the  representatives  of  the  people. 

"  Other  committees  are  appointed  for  finance,  com 
merce,  war,  &c.,  by  the  head  committee  of  Salut 
Public,  one  of  the  members  of  which  is  president 
of  the  principal  committee ;  so  that  all  the  doings  of 
the  several  distinct  departments  eventually  concentrate 
in  the  Committee  of  Salut  Public,  where  they  are  ma 
tured  and  carried  into  effect  when  approved.  I  am 
told  that  the  Executive  Committee  is  the  most  inde 
fatigable  of  any  in  the  world ;  and  that  they  sit  at 
business  until  four  and  five  o'clock  in  the  morning, 
and  are  at  it  again  at  ten  or  eleven.  In  this  way  a 
great  deal  of  business  must  be  accomplished;  and  it  is 
certain  that  they  have  effected  wonders. 

"  Peace  is  still  talked  of  with  Spain  and  Prussia ; 
and  it  is  said  that  there  is  an  emissary  now  in  Paris, 
who  comes  to  know  if  a  commissioner  would  be  re 
ceived. 

"  My  landlady  tells  me  that  I  must  go  to  the  sec 
tion  to-day,  and  get  a  pound  of  bread,  or  I  shall  not 
be  able  to  get  any  in  the  house.  As  bread  is  not  the 
staff  of  life  with  me,  I  think  I  shall  dispense  with  the 
bread,  rather  than  be  plagued  with  getting  a  card  to 
entitle  me  to  it. 

"  I  am  told  that  the  daily  guard,  which  mounts  in 
this  city,  is  at  least  twenty  thousand  in  number. 
This  is  astonishing ;  and,  at  the  time  of  the  arrest  of 
Robespierre,  it  is  said  to  have  been  doubled.  It  con 
sists  principally  of  the  citizens,  who  are  all  obliged  to 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  69 

serve  in  turn ;  and  no  one  is  excused,  or  can  find  a 
person  to  serve  in  his  stead,  unless  for  very  good  and 
cogent  reasons.  They  are  generally  armed  with 
spears,  fixed  in  the  end  of  long  poles. 

"I  see  with  great  pleasure  the  national  troops, 
which  are  sometimes  paraded  in  the  place  before  the 
Palace  of  the  Tuileries.  They  are  fine-looking  fel 
lows;  and  a  band  of  music  generally  accompanies 
them  on  parade.  The  cannoneers  all  appear  to  be  very 
young  men,  some  of  them  not  more  than  fifteen  or 
sixteen  years  of  age ;  and  I  am  told  that  to  them  the 
Republic  is  indebted  for  some  of  the  best  victories 
she  has  to  boast.  May  every  man  be  a  cannoneer 
when  opposed  to  tyrants,  and  every  cannoneer  an 
army  in  himself ! 

"  Exchange  in  silver  seven  hundred  for  one  hun 
dred. 

"30th  Ventose  or  Decadi.  March  20th. --The 
morning  more  pleasant  than  for  some  days  past.  The 
churches  may  now  be  opened  freely ;  and  every  one 
has  the  privilege  of  worshipping  God  as  he  may  see 
fit.  The  suspension  of  this  right  has  been  one  of  the 
most  unfortunate  measures  ever  taken,  for  it  is  sup 
posed  to  have  been  the  cause  in  La  Vendee  of  the 
loss  to  the  Republic  of  three  hundred  thousand  lives ; 
and,  what  is  even  worse  than  that,  it  produced  an  ani 
mosity  between  those  who  ought  to  think  and  act  like 
brothers  and  friends,  which  it  will  be  very  difficult  to 
eradicate.  An  eventual  peace  is  at  last  established  in 
that  quarter,  which  for  two  years  past  has  been  a 
scene  of  blood  and  carnage.  Freedom  of  thinking  is 


70  MEMOIR    OF 

a  privilege  which,  when  once  enjoyed,  will  not  be 
tamely  given  up,  particularly  in  matters  of  religion  ; 
and  it  is,  in  my  opinion,  wise  and  prudent  in  the 
Convention  to  take  off  the  shackles  which  fettered 
this  darling  right. 

"  As  I  was  taking  my  usual  walk  in  the  morning,  I 
was  induced,  by  the  sound  of  music,  to  enter  a  build 
ing  which  was  once  used  as  a  church,  but  which  had 
been  shut  up  by  Robespierre  for  upwards  of  ten 
months.  My  friend  Sabonadaire  was  there,  with 
whom  I  took  a  seat. 

"  This  discourse  was  the  first  one  delivered  since 
the  opening;  and  the  subject  was  principally  the 
sacred  liberty  of  religious  opinion.  The  society  was 
Presbyterian.  The  women  seemed  particularly  af 
fected  by  the  discourse,  which  was  very  pathetic. 
Mr.  Sabonadaire  pointed  out  to  me  Miss  Helen 
Maria  Williams ;  and,  as  I  had  an  inclination  to  be 
acquainted  with  her,  he  introduced  me  to  her  after 
church.  She  seemed  to  be  a  sensible,  sprightly  wo 
man,  but  too  much  of  a  politician. 

"  1st  Germinal.  22d  March.  —  The  weather  ap 
pears  to  change  with  the  introduction  of  the  month, 
and  speaks  the  approach  of  spring  and  its  attendant 
beauties. 

"  There  is  a  general  agitation  in  Paris  this  day. 
Large  assemblies  of  persons  were  seen  in  the  streets ; 
and  the  cause  of  this  is  supposed  to  be  the  approach 
ing  trial  of  the  four  members  of  the  Convention,  — 
Barrere,  &c.  It  is  said  that  the  Jacobins  wish  to 
raise  a  party  to  rescue  them ;  and  the  fear  of  seeing 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  71 

them  again  in  power  sets  every  one  alive  and  on  the 
watch.  In  the  evening  there  were  blows  given  in  the 
Palais  d'Egalite ;  and  I  am  assured  that  several  hun 
dred  Jacobins  appeared  there,  and  put  the  Jeunesse 
de  Paris  to  flight.  They  returned  to  the  charge  with 
increased  numbers,  and  beat  their  opponents  off  the 
ground.  Large  numbers  of  the  young  men  paraded 
the  streets  in  the  evening,  chanting  the  new,  patriotic, 
anti-Jacobin  song  of '  Reveil  du  Peuple.'  The  guards 
in  Paris,  who  I  am  told  amount  every  day  to  twenty 
thousand  men,  are  double  that  number  to-day. 

"The  trial  commences  to-morrow. 

"  2d.  —  Cloudy  and  unpleasant.  This  day  will  be 
an  interesting  one,  and  will  show  whether  Jacobinism 
dare  raise  its  hideous  head. 

"  Midnight.  —  The  commotions  of  the  last  evening, 
and  the  fear  of  seeing  Jacobinism  once  more  trium 
phant,  brought  out  every  man  this  day.  The  number 
of  patrols  that  paraded  the  streets  and  the  gardens 
of  the  Tuileries  was  astonishing.  The  guard  of  the 
day  was  forty  thousand ;  besides  which,  the  reserve 
guard,  which  may  be  called  in  half  an  hour,  numbers 
sixty  thousand.  In  addition  to  this,  almost  every 
man  has  girded  on  his  sabre  to-day,  and  paraded  the 
gardens  and  palaces.  The  number  of  people  in  the 
Tuileries  was  very  great;  and  every  one  was  armed, 
and  showed  a  spirit  of  determination  to  overthrow 
any  thing  Jacobinical  that  might  show  itself. 

"Barrere,Collot  d'Herbois,  and  Billaud  de  Varennes, 
were  this  day  brought  to  the  bar  of  the  Convention. 
The  crowd  was  so  great  that  there  was  no  getting  in. 


MEMOIR    OF 


They  are  to  make  their  defence  to-morrow,  or  rather 
they  will  begin  them  ;  for  it  is  supposed  that  they  will 
procrastinate  as  much  as  possible,  in  order  to  give 
their  party  time  to  show  itself.  But  it  is  too  late  :  the 
general  opinion  dooms  them  to  death;  and  there  is  but 
little  doubt  of  their  meeting  it.  If  the  condemna 
tions  finish  with  those  now  at  the  bar,  the  public  will 
be  very  much  disappointed.  Incendiary  pieces  are 
stuck  up,  setting  forth  the  necessity  of  taking  off 
forty  or  fifty  of  the  Convention,  ere  peace  and  secu 
rity  can  be  restored. 

"  3d.  —  This  day  has  been  more  tranquil  than  was 
generally  expected.  Nothing  shows  itself  which  is 
opposed  to  the  fate  of  those  at  the  bar.  In  passing 
through  the  court  of  the  Palace  of  the  Tuileries  this 
morning  at  ten  o'clock,  I  saw  the  attention  of  the  crowd 
attracted  to  a  coach  which  entered  •  and,  as  it  passed 
me,  I  perceived  that  one  of  the  prisoners  was  in  it, 
guarded  by  three  gens  d'armes,  who  rode  in  the  coach 
with  him.  It  was  Billaud  de  Varennes.  He  jumped 
from  the  carriage  as  soon  as  the  door  was  opened, 
and  from  where  it  stood  to  the  door  of  the  Conven 
tion,  with  great  agility,  as  if  not  to  be  seen  by  the 
people,  who  were  gathering  in  crowds  round  the  car 
riage.  Perhaps  fear  induced  him  to  wish  not  to  be 
seen  by  the  public  ;  and,  had  it  been  Collot  d'Herbois, 
I  should  not  have  been  surprised  at  his  fear  of  assas 
sination,  if  a  thousandth  part  of  the  barbarities  at 
tributed  to  him  are  true.  He  (Collot)  was  the  deputy 
at  Lyons,  where  every  kind  of  enormity  which  shocks 
humanity  was  committed.  All  ages,  sexes,  and  con- 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS.  73 

ditions  fell  victims  to  his  savage  disposition,  and 
without  an  opportunity  to  defend  themselves.  One 
instance  of  his  unheard-of  cruelty  was  printed  in  our 
American  papers ;  but  it  was  supposed  to  be  a  fable 
of  the  aristocracy,  and  had  not  the  public  faith. 
This  was  his  ordering  the  military  to  fire  on  the 
populace,  whom  he  had  summoned  into  a  square; 
and  all  sexes  and  conditions  were  inhumanly  slaugh 
tered.  The  charges  against  him  are  many  and  great ; 
his  chance  but  small  of  saving  himself. 

"  This  evening,  Mr.  Monroe,  the  American  minister, 
invited  half  a  dozen  of  us  to  attend  the  Convention 
with  him  to-morrow ;  which  it  is  supposed  will  be  an 
interesting  day. 

"  4th.  —  Breakfasted  with  Mr.  Monroe,  and  was  in 
troduced,  with  him  and  several  other  Americans,  by 
Mr.  Rosse,  —  one  of  the  masters  at  arms,  —  to  one  of 
the  tribunes,  which  are  on  the  floor  of  the  Conven 
tion.  The  members  were  very  generally  there;  and 
the  galleries  and  tribunes  were  very  much  crowded. 
The  prisoners  were  seated  behind  the  president.  Their 
countenances  all  bespoke  the  anxiety  which  must  hang 
on  their  hearts.  Collot  spoke  first,  and  Barrere  fol 
lowed,  in  vindication  of  their  conduct ;  and  they  con 
cluded  by  demanding  of  the  Convention,  that  the 
articles  of  their  impeachment,  by  the  Committee  of 
Twenty-one,  should  be  discussed  before  the  Conven 
tion,  article  by  article.  This  introduced  very  warm 
debate  and  most  outrageous  passion,  mixed  with  per 
sonal  scurrility.  The  members  who  remained  of  the 

old  Committee  of  Salut  Public  —  to  which  the  four 

10 


74  MEMOIR   OF 

who  are  now  under  trial  belonged  —  are  very  unplea 
santly  situated,  and  will  make  all  endeavors  to  save 
them,  in  order  that  their  own  conduct  may  not  be  in 
vestigated  ;  which  it  is  supposed  will  ensue,  if  Barrere 
&c.  are  condemned.  Four  of  this  same  committee 
fell  with  Robespierre ;  and,  besides  those  under  trial, 
there  are  but  four  remaining.  The  business  of  dis 
cussion  by  article  was  not  determined  when  the  Con 
vention  adjourned.  The  bell  was  rung  often,  but 
with  little  effect ;  for  its  sound  was  drowned  by  the 
hundred  voices  which  were  raised  at  the  same  time. 
Legendre  was  one  of  the  principal  speakers ;  and  he, 
with  Cambon,  and  a  few  others,  were  alternately  in 
the  tribune.  Sullidan  was  one  of  the  Committee  of 
Twenty-one,  and  had  much  to  say  in  vindication 
of  that  committee,  and  the  principles  which  guided 
their  inquiries  in  the  business  committed  to  their  care. 
"Although  a  decree  was  passed  that  no  mark  of 
approbation  or  the  reverse  should  be  shown  by  the 
Convention,  and  though  it  was  a  decree  nem.  con.,  yet 
there  was  as  much  of  the  one  and  the  other  as  before, 
both  by  the  members  of  the  Convention  and  the  au 
dience.  The  women  in  the  tribunes  have  been,  in 
general,  so  unruly,  that  they  were  prohibited  for  a 
day  or  two  from  entering.  I  see,  however,  that  they 
have  got  themselves  again  introduced.  They  go  for 
the  session,  let  it  be  longer  or  shorter ;  and  all  take 
their  dinners  in  their  pockets.  I  saw  a  woman  there 
the  other  day  who  was  very  industriously  employed  in 
knitting.  They  are  generally  women  of  the  lowest 
class. 


THOMAS   HANDASYD   PERKINS.  75 

"  There  were  not  so  many  patrols  out  to-day  as  a 
few  days  past.  Probably  they  feel  confident  of  their 
party. 

"5th.  —  Employed  in  following  up  my  business, 
which  is  shamefully  neglected  by  the  members  of  the 
Committee  of  Salut  Public.  All  is  finished  but  their 
signature ;  which  they  pretend,  at  the  offices,  the  mem 
bers  have  not  time  to  get. 

"  The  weather  now  begins  to  be  pleasant ;  and  walk 
ing  is  agreeable.  All  is  quiet  in  Paris ;  and  there  are 
but  few  patrols  in  the  streets.  It  is  generally  sup 
posed  that  some  time  will  be  taken  up  in  the  Conven 
tion  with  the  business  of  Barrere  and  the  others,  — 
more  than  was  at  first  expected. 

"  6th.  —  The  weather  lowering  and  unpleasant ; 
which  is,  however,  no  proof  in  Paris  that  we  shall 
not  have  a  clear  day.  This  day  I  received  letters 
from  Boston,  which,  though  of  ancient  date,  afforded 
me  infinite  pleasure,  and  make  me  more  and  more 
regret  the  sacrifices  I  am  making  of  domestic  happi 
ness,  in  being  absent  from  a  family  and  connections 
dear  to  me  as  life  itself. 

"  Madame  de  La  Fayette  breakfasted  with  Mr. 
Russell  and  myself  this  morning.  She  is  much  worn 
down  by  her  misfortunes,  which,  she  says,  she  fears 
will  know  no  end  but  in  the  grave.  Poor  woman ! 
she  came  very  near  trying  the  experiment  under  the 
reign  of  Robespierre.  She  was  kept  in  prison,  under 
every  refinement  of  deprivation  of  liberty,  for  fifteen 
months.  By  some  unaccountable  good  fortune,  she 
was  removed  from  one  prison  to  another ;  which  she 


76  MEMOIR   OF 

thought  at  the  time  the  greatest  evil  that  was  left  for 
her  in  life,  as  it  separated  her  from  her  friends,  who 
were  confined  in  the  same  prison,  and  placed  her  with 
strangers.  This  removal  saved  her  life ;  for  all  who 
were  in  the  room  where  she  was  were  taken  out  and 
executed  a  few  days  before  the  fall  of  Robespierre. 
Among  them  were  her  father,  and  some  other  rela 
tions  and  intimate  friends.  She  has  had  no  letter 
from  M.  de  La  Fayette  since  he  left  France,  and  suf 
fers  all  the  torments  which  the  warmest  affection  can 
be  supposed  to  endure  under  similar  circumstances. 
Her  son  and  two  daughters  are  in  France ;  and  I  am 
told  that  they  are  fine  children. 

"  7th.  —  I  am  this  moment  told  that  the  people  of 
Paris  are  reduced  to  half  a  pound  of  bread  a  day; 
and  that  there  have  been  women  waiting  at  the  bakers' 
shops  all  night,  so  as  to  have  an  opportunity  to  be 
served  first  in  the  morning.  They  say  that  the  tavern- 
keepers  do  not  draw  any.  I  fear  this  will  make 
trouble.  Bread,  I  am  told,  is  the  sole  subsistence  of 
thousands  of  workmen  and  their  families,  relished 
with  an  anchovy.  May  the  God  of  plenty  make  them 
a  speedy  visit,  and  put  an  end  to  their  distresses,  which 
seem  to  be  many !  It  is  peculiarly  unfortunate  that 
the  want  of  bread  occurs  at  this  time ;  for  every  agi 
tation  helps  the  malcontents  of  the  city,  who  are  said 
not  to  be  few.  As  I  dine  with  the  American  minister 
to-day,  I  shall  probably  hear  the  opinions  of  public 
characters  on  the  subject  of  the  present  scarcity. 

"  Merlin  de  Thionville,  Freron,  Laveaux,  Thibau- 
deau,  the  late  president,  and  several  other  members 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  77 

of  the  Convention,  dined  with  Mr.  Monroe ;  and,  in  the 
evening,  Tallien  came  in.  I  find  by  their  conversation 
that  they  are  much  interested  in  the  question  concern 
ing  the  fate  of  Barrere  and  his  companions.  They  do 
not  hesitate  to  say  that  the  present  trial  is  a  decision 
between  Jacobinism  with  its  excesses  and  the  reign  of 
reason  and  moderation.  God  send  the  latter  may  tri 
umph  !  They  are  for  cutting  off  the  chiefs,  who  are 
those  now  on  trial,  and  letting  their  aiders  and  abettors 
sink  into  oblivion.  Were  the  modcres  to  pursue  all  con 
cerned  in  the  system  for  which  the  accused  are  now  on 
trial,  it  would  be  destroying  one  system  of  terror  by  an 
other.  Merlin  is  the  representative  of  the  people  who 
so  bravely  defended  Mayence.  He  is  a  fine  soldier 
and  a  great  politician.  His  appearance  is  manly,  and 
his  countenance  open.  He  wears  whiskers,  which  con 
tinue  from  one  temple  to  the  other,  —  making  a  circle 
by  the  corners  of  his  mouth  and  over  his  upper  lip  ; 
and  he  has  sworn  not  to  shave  them  until  Mayence 
shall  be  retaken.  He  speaks  with  great  energy,  and 
has  an  eye  made  for  command.  Freron  is  esteemed  a 
man  of  first-rate  abilities,  and  great  powers  of  oratory. 
Thibaudeau  was  the  president  for  the  last  decade,  and 
fills  the  chair  as  well  as  any  one  in  the  assembly. 
The  spirited  answer  he  gave  to  the  workmen,  who 
were  instigated  by  a  certain  party  to  come  to  the  Con 
vention  and  demand  bread,  and  who,  in  their  address 
to  the  Assembly,  had  the  audacity  to  observe  that  they 
almost  repented  the  sacrifices  they  had  made  for  the 
revolution,  —  I  say,  the  answer  he  gave  them  probably 
saved  an  insurrection,  for  which  they  were  ripe,  and 


78  MEMOIR    OF 

which  there  is  little  doubt  was  their  intention.  The 
choice  of  the  president  of  the  Convention  is  for  fifteen 
days,  or  two  weeks ;  and  this  is  the  only  instance  in 
which  they  have  reference  to  old  divisions  of  time. 

"  I  am  told  by  Mr.  Rosse,  one  of  the  masters  at 
arms  in  the  assembly,  that  the  prisoners  appeared  to 
have  great  spirits,  in  consequence  of  the  mobs  which  \, 
are  gathering  round  the  Convention.  At  about  four 
o'clock  this  afternoon,  nearly  two  thousand  women 
crowded  round  the  door  of  the  Assembly,  and  demand 
ed  an  entrance  to  the  hall.  They  were  very  noisy,  and 
were  with  difficulty  prevented  from  bursting  the  door 
of  the  Convention ;  to  which  they  sent  a  deputation 
from  their  body,  to  represent  their  distress  for  want  of 
bread;  pleading,  that  although  the  Convention  had 
promised  them  yesterday  a  pound  per  diem  for  each 
person,  yet  they  had  received  but  half  a  pound  this 
day.  They  were  assured  by  the  president  that  it  was 
their  own  fault  if  they  did  not  receive  more,  as  it  was 
ready  to  be  delivered  half  an  hour  after  they  left  the 
bakers'.  They  received  some  good  advice ;  and  were 
exhorted  to  behave  like  good  citizens,  and  return  to 
their  families.  Some  of  the  most  clamorous  were 
taken  to  prison ;  which,  I  presume,  will  have  a  good 
effect.  The  people  of  Paris  dread  a  female  mob ;  for 
that  sex  has  been  at  the  head  of,  and  indeed  the 
principal  actors  in,  some  of  the  most  important  revo 
lutions  of  Paris. 

"  8th.  —  The  weather  is  overcast  and  unpleasant. 
All  is  quiet  to-day.  The  poor  people  are  to  have  a 
substitute  of  biscuit  and  rice  for  their  deficiency  of 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  79 

bread.  This  will  keep  them  still.  The  private  houses 
of  people  in  easy  circumstances,  and  of  the  restaura 
teurs,  are  only  supplied  with  half  a  pound  per  person, 
and  that  of  a  quality  very  inferior.  I  am  anxious  to 
hear  of  arrivals  from  America,  and  other  neutral 
powers,  with  breadstuffs ;  without  which  I  fear  there 
will  be  a  famine  of  bread.  We  are  told  that  they  are 
in  great  want  in  the  south  of  France ;  and,  if  that  is 
the  case  now,  what  will  be  their  wants  three  months 
hence  1 

"  A  motion  was  this  day  made  in  the  Convention  to 
call  the  primary  assemblies,  for  the  choosing  a  neAV 
Convention,  that  the  constitution  of  1793  may  be  put 
in  force. 

"  10th.  — This  is  Decadi.  As  I  have  not  yet  been 
out,  I  cannot  say  whether  there  is  more  religion  on 
this  than  on  other  days.  The  shops,  I  observe,  are 
generally  shut  to-day;  though  there  are  some  ex 
ceptions.  In  this  country,  no  attention  is  paid  to 
the  new  division  of  time.  They  stick  by  old  customs ; 
and  with  them  our  Sunday  is  held  sacred,  and  they  lay 
aside  their  work. 

"  I  went  to-day  to  visit  the  place  where  the  Bastille 
stood ;  and  see,  from  the  space  it  occupied,  that  it  must 
have  been  a  very  large  building.  The  cells  are  now 
all  filled  up ;  and  there  is  a  figure  of  Liberty  placed  on 
the  spot.  When  one  contemplates  the  misery  which 
that  place  once  contained,  the  blood  runs  cold  in  the 
veins,  and  the  soul  is  quickened  with  hatred  against 
tyrants,  wherever  they  are  found,  —  whether  they  rule 
in  a  body,  or  severally.  There  have  been,  unfortunately, 


80  MEMOIR    OF 

a  great  many  Bastilles  in  France  since  that  one  was 
destroyed. 

"  I  am  told  that  the  Convention  are  determined  to 
continue  the  trial  of  the  prisoners,  and  not  make  them 
over  to  the  new  Convention  which  is  to  be  called. 

"  Dined  with  a  decadi  club  of  Americans,  who  meet 
on  that  day,  to  the  number  of  fifteen  or  twenty,  and 
pass  a  few  hours  very  merrily. 

"  llth.  —  Upon  calling  for  breakfast  this  morning, 
the  landlord  informed  us  that  we  could  not  have  any 
bread.  The  women  were  in  crowds  all  night  at  the 
doors  of  the  bakers ;  and  Russell  tells  me,  that,  at  a 
baker's  opposite  to  where  he  passed  the  night,  they 
were  assembled  at  eleven  o'clock,  and  that  at  eight  they 
were  still  there.  There  has  never  been  so  great  a 
scarcity  of  bread,  since  the  war,  so  early  in  the  season ; 
and  this  is  more  the  case  in  the  south  of  France  than 
in  the  middle.  All  seems  to  be  perfectly  quiet.  Put 
ting  some  women,  who  made  a  great  tumult,  into 
prison,  has  had  a  good  effect. 

"  All  nature  begins  to  smile.  The  trees  are  putting 
forth,  and  this  day  is  enchantingly  fine.  The  walks 
in  the  Tuileries  begin  to  be  crowded;  and  it  is  not 
to  be  wondered  at,  for  they  exceed  the  imagination  of 
ordinary  minds.  The  difference  in  numbers  between 
men  and  women  which  is  seen  in  the  streets  is  very 
striking,  notwithstanding"  the  great  number  of  men 
here  who  are  strangers.  Whether  it  is  that  men  are 
more  occupied,  and  keep  at  their  labor,  while  the 
women  are  sent  abroad  in  search  of  provisions,  I  will 
not  undertake  to  say.  I  observe  that  there  are  none 
but  women  at  the  doors  of  the  butchers  and  bakers. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  81 

"  I  was  this  evening  at  the  theatre  of  the  Palais 
d'Egalite.  This  appertains  to  the  immense  building, 
all  of  which  was  built  by  that  execrable  wretch,  the 
Duke  of  Orleans,  whose  memory  is  abhorred  by  every 
honest  man,  and  with  whom,  I  presume,  the  common 
damned  will  hold  no  converse.  The  building  is  the 
handsomest  I  have  yet  seen  in  Paris,  and  the  perform 
ance  was  very  respectable:  indeed,  I  have  not  been 
so  much  diverted  since  I  arrived  as  last  evening.  It 
appears  to  me  that  the  manners  of  the  French  must 
have  changed  since  Mr.  Moore  was  among  them. 
They  certainly  appear  to  have  less  complaisance  than 
was  common  among  those  whom  I  have  been  ac 
quainted  with.  They  endeavor  to  imitate  republican 
simplicity ;  and  the  fact  is,  they  come  short,  in  many 
cases,  of  common  civility. 

"12th,  or,  in  old  style,  1st  April,  1795.  — This 
morning  looks  as  fine  as  yesterday.  My  friend  Rus 
sell  this  day  closed  the  purchase  of  a  house  and 
eighteen  acres  of  land,  which  cost  200,000  livres  in 
specie,  for  232,500  in  assignats.  A  great  spec ! 

"  At  eleven  o'clock,  great  numbers  of  people  flocked 
towards  the  Convention ;  and,  at  about  two  o'clock, 
the  number  of  people  was  so  great  that  the  Conven 
tion  were  alarmed  for  their  safety ;  and  the  generate 
was  ordered  to  be  beat,  and  the  tocsin  to  be  sounded. 
A  great  number  of  deputations  were  sent  from  the 
different  sections ;  and  they  crowded  so  closely  upon 
the  sentinels  stationed  at  the  door  of  the  Assembly, 
that  they  fell  back,  and  in  a  moment  the  Convention 
was  filled  with  men  and  women  demanding  bread, 


11 


82  MEMOIR    OF 

which  they  said  had  been  promised  them,  but  which 
they  had  been  disappointed  in.  Some  called  for  the 
liberation  of  the  persons  who  were  detained  in  prison, 
as  they  said,  for  their  opinions.  They  were  so  tumult 
uous  that  the  president  was  obliged  to  put  on  his  hat ; 
but  this  was  disregarded,  and  the  members  were  very 
much  afraid  for  the  event.  The  persons  who  are 
spoken  of  as  being  so  unjustly  detained  in  prison  are 
the  partisans  of  Robespierre ;  and  it  is  feared,  that, 
were  they  again  at  liberty,  they  would  drench  the 
country  once  more  with  innocent  blood.  Thousands 
of  men  and  women  were  gathered  in  the  vicinity  of 
the  palace ;  and  at  least  sixty  thousand  men  are  under 
arms  this  day.  In  general,  the  guards  are  armed 
mostly  with  pikes ;  but  to-day  they  are  armed  with 
guns,  which  are  in  very  good  order.  In  the  streets 
there  are  nothing  but  patrols.  Every  shop  is  shut 
up,  and  all  business  suspended.  The  tradesmen 
forsook  their  work  early  this  morning,  and  were 
determined  upon  making  a  business  of  it.  I  am 
astonished  to  see  the  immense  number  of  decent 
women,  who  are  led  into  that  part  of  the  town  where 
the  agitation  seems  to  be  the  most  violent  merely  by 
motives  of  curiosity.  In  the  promenade  behind  the 
Palace  of  the  Tuileries,  and  in  the  whole  area  in  front 
of  the  palace,  it  was  almost  impossible  to  pass,  on 
account  of  the  crowds  of  people.  I  am  in  hopes 
that  all  will  pass  over  quietly,  and  that  the  arrival  of 
flour  will  calm  the  public  mind,  which  is  very  much 
agitated,  and  is  kept  so  by  the  agents  of  the  Jacobin 
party,  who  add  fuel  to  the  fire.  Should  the  means  of 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  83 

subsistence  not  come  in,  God  only  knows  what  will 
be  the  consequence.  The  people  in  Paris  have  always 
looked  to  the  government  of  France  for  bread ;  and 
they  of  course  think  it  their  due,  and  consider  a  depri 
vation  of  it  an  infringement  of  their  rights. 

"  13th.  —  Penieres,  one  of  the  deputies  of  the  Con 
vention,  was  last  evening  stabbed  by  the  malcontents 
of  the  section  of  the  cite.  The  ringleader  of  the 
mob  was  taken  up,  and  will  probably  suifer  for  his 
indiscretion. 

"  From  the  general  fermentation  in  Paris  yesterday, 
some  measures  of  a  decisive  nature  have  been  taken. 
It  seems  that  the  opinion  of  the  Convention  was  the 
same  with  my  own  respecting  the  agitation ;  which 
was,  that  it  was  not  the  want  of  bread  alone  that 
made  the  tumult  so  general,  but  that  a  certain  party 
had  made  bread  the  watchword,  and  the  ostensible 
reason  for  their  enormities.  Under  this  suspicion, 
seven  of  the  members  have  been  arrested.  They  were 
of  the  party  called  the  c  Mountain.'  Their  names  are 
Chales,  Choudieu,  Leonard  Bourdon,  Amar,  Fourdroy, 
Duhem,  and  another,  whose  name  I  do  not  know. 
The  people  who  have  been  on  trial  some  time  are 
now  condemned  by  the  Convention  to  transportation 
to  an  island  in  the  Mediterranean.  When  they  are 
once  gone,  I  have  some  hopes  that  there  will  be 
tranquillity  in  the  city. 

"  The  gemrale  was  again  beat  this  day;  and  great 
numbers  of  men  are  under  arms.  Two  sections  are 
in  revolt ;  and  Gen.  Pichegru  happening  to  be  in 
Paris,  the  Convention  gave  him  the  command  of  the 


84  MEMOIR    OF 

Parisian  Guards,  to  go  against  them.  About  six 
o'clock,  I  took  a  walk,  under  the  sanction  of  my 
Americanship,  round  the  Tuileries,  and  find  all  Paris 
in  arms.  Not  a  street  but  is  crowded  with  men 
bearing  muskets.  Every  one  seems  occupied  in  the 
business;  and  you  do  not  meet  a  boy  in  the  street 
that  is  not  talking  of  the  business  of  the  day.  Clarke 
and  I  were  obliged  to  take  the  rounds  of  a  mile  at 
least,  before  we  got  liberty  to  pass.  All  the  bridges 
are  guarded  by  artillery,  as  are  the  avenues  into  the 
Tuileries  and  to  the  palace.  This  day,  saw  the  superb 
building  of  the  Hospital  of  Invalids,  and  the  Military 
School :  they  are  magnificent  buildings.  The  Champ 
de  Mars  also  affords  one  of  the  most  magnificent  pro 
spects  in  the  world. 

"  The  women  appear  to  be  more  interested,  if  pos 
sible,  in  the  business  of  the  day,  than  the  men.  You 
cannot  pass  a  house  where  you  do  not  see  a  woman 
with  a  newspaper  in  her  hand,  and  half  a  dozen  per 
sons  round  her  swallowing  her  news ;  and  this  even 
ing,  as  we  passed  the  Pont  Neuf,  we  had  the  curiosity 
to  approach  a  crowd,  where  we  saw  a  very  fine-look 
ing  female  reading  the  news  to  a  large  number  who 
stood  by.  It  was  in  the  open  air,  and  by  candle-light. 
This  is  so  very  different  from  the  character  of  our 
women,  that  it  strikes  us  with  astonishment ;  at  the 
same  time  that  a  Frenchman  passes  by,  and  takes  no 
notice  of  it. 

;c  14th.  — The  deputies  who  were  denounced  yes 
terday  were  sent  off  last  night  to  the  Castle  of  Ham, 
in  Picardy.  They  were  eight  in  number,  and  it  is 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  85 

supposed  will  be  followed  by  many  more  of  the  same 
section.  Barrere,  Collot,  and  Billaud  de  Varennes, 
were  also  sent  off,  under  a  guard,  to  the  south  of 
France ;  from  whence  they  are  to  be  embarked  for  the 
island  destined  to  receive  them.  The  mob  stopped 
the  coach,  and  were  determined  to  put  them  to  death 
on  the  spot,  but  were  prevented  by  the  guards. 

"  The  papers  this  morning  tell  us  that  there  were 
fifty  thousand  men  under  arms  last  evening  in  the 
vicinity  of  the  Convention ;  and  this  is  not  difficult  to 
believe.  The  sections  which  were  in  insurrection  are 
now  quiet.  The  complement  of  bread  is  this  day  only 
a  quarter  of  a  pound.  The  Convention  have  assured 
the  people  there  will  be  large  supplies  in  a  few  days  ; 
which  I  hope  to  God  will  be  the  case. 

"  Gold,  two  hundred  and  twenty  to  two  hundred  and 
fifteen  per  guinea,  falling..  The  day  before  yesterday, 
they  were  up  to  two  hundred  and  fifty. 

"  This  day,  dined  with  Mr.  Sabonadaire,  the  head 
clerk  of  the  Committee  of  Public  Safety.  There  was 
present  Madame  Vallet,  who  was  patronized  by  Vol 
taire,  and  by  him  distinguished  as  the  belle  et  bonne. 
He  married  her  to  the  Marquis  de  Vallet ;  and,  from 
her  rank,  she  was  imprisoned  under  the  reign  of 
feobespierre  for  eleven  months.  I  had  the  pleasure 
to  meet  her  once  before  at  Mr.  Monroe's,  and  had 
my  heart  almost  broken  with  the  recital  of  her  suf 
ferings  while  in  prison.  She  had  a  daughter  with 
her,  of  about  six  years  old.  Most  of  her  friends 
who  were  confined  at  the  same  time  with  her  fell 
victims  to  the  bloody  ferocity  of  the  despotism  which 


86  MEMOIR    OF 

reigned  at  that  period.  Her  time  was  near  at  hand ; 
but  justice  came  in  to  her  aid,  and  saved  to  the  world 
as  fine  a  woman  as  I  ever  knew. 

"  There  were  many  of  the  members  of  the  Conven 
tion  present :  they  are  all  in  high  spirits,  and  show  by 
their  conversation  that  they  are  confident  they  have 
given  the  final  stroke,  the  coup  de  grace,  to  Jacobinism. 
Isnard,  one  of  the  proscribed,  was  there.  He  was  of 
the  seventy-three  deputies  who  were  outlawed;  and 
his  crime  was  having  spoken  in  favor  of  his  friend, 
whom  Robespierre  had  destined  to  fall.  He  was 
in  Paris,  confined  to  his  chamber,  from  October, 
1793,  until  a  few  weeks  since.  He  is  a  sprightly 
man,  and  has  the  most  piercing  eye  I  ever  saw  in 
my  life. 

"  The  brother  of  Rabaud  St.  Etienne,  who  was 
sacrificed,  was  there  too.  The  President  Pelet,  and 
the  late  President  Thibaudeau,  were  also  there ;  and, 
as  they  were  all  going  to  the  Convention,  I  accepted 
an  invitation,  and  took  a  seat  with  Mr.  Monroe  in  the 
tribune  lately  appropriated  to  the  foreign  ministers. 

"The  sitting  was  noisy;  but  it  was  good-natured, 
and  rather  the  kind  which  proceeds  from  high  spirits, 
than  such  as  we  had  been  accustomed  to  for  some 
time  past  in  the  Assembly. 

"  Not  a  word  from  the  Mountain.  They  are  quiet ; 
and  I  hope  have  been  so  completely  overcome  as  to 
put  an  end  to  them. 

"  All  Paris  is  charmed.  A  smile  of  satisfaction  is 
marked  in  every  face,  and  seems  to  say,  '  We  are  once 
more  secure  in  our  lives  and  property/  The  first 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  87 

politicians  are  of  opinion  that  the  triumph  of  the 
12th  Germinal  is  only  second  to  the  9th  Thermidor; 
on  which  day  the  system  of  terror  was  thrown 
down,  and  those  who  planted  it  sacrificed  to  the 
manes  of  those  who  were  martyrs  to  it.  I  think  it  a 
very  politic  thing  in  the  Assembly  not  to  have  shed 
the  blood  of  those  who  so  richly  deserved  it  as  Bar- 
rere  and  his  colleagues  in  iniquity.  It  would  have 
been  dangerous  to  have  got  the  guillotine  again  in 
operation.  Their  blood  was  loudly  demanded  by  the 
people,  and  it  was  supposed  they  would  not  have  been 
able  to  have  got  three  leagues  from  Paris  without 
attempts  upon  their  lives ;  and  I  yet  am  of  opinion 
they  will  be  assassinated  on  the  road. 

"  I  observed,  in  coming  from  the  hall  of  the  Conven 
tion  last  evening  (at  eleven  o'clock),  what  had  before 
escaped  my  observation;  which  was,  the  standards 
which  have  been  taken  during  the  present  war,  and 
which  are  preserved  there  as  trophies  of  the  victories 
gained. 

"15th. — Went  with  Mr.  J.  Russell  this  morning 
to  Ablens,  which  is  about  three  leagues  from  Paris,  to 
see  his  purchase  of  a  house,  or  rather  chateau.  It  is 
built  in  an  elegant  style,  has  between  thirty  and  forty 
rooms,  and  nearly  seventeen  acres  of  ground,  covered 
with  five  thousand  trees.  The  whole  is  walled  in, 
with  stables  for  thirty  horses,  an  ice-house,  and  indeed 
all  a  man  wants  in  buildings,  with  very  handsome 
furniture ;  and,  for  the  whole  of  this,  he  is  to  pay  two 
hundred  and  thirty-five  thousand  livres,  —  equal  to 
about  one  thousand  guineas  in  gold.  Its  vicinity  to 


88  MEMOIK    OF 

the  river,  too,  gives  it  great  advantages.  The  ride 
from  Paris  to  Choisy,  where  is  a  palace  of  Louis,  the 
late  king,  is  as  rich  as  cultivation  and  a  naturally  fine 
country  can  make  it.  The  Seine,  running  through  a 
level  country  sowed  with  grain,  without  a  hedge  or 
fence  to  intercept  the  sight,  bounded  by  a  ridge  of 
hills,  which  are  under  no  less  cultivation  than  the 
plains,  interspersed  with  chateaux  at  small  distances 
from  each  other,  and  rows  of  trees  trimmed  with 
great  taste,  —  all  together  form  as  fine  a  scene  as  the 
fancy  can  paint.  The  gardener  and  his  little  family 
seem  delighted  with  the  prospect  of  having  their 
new  lord.  This  is  not  to  be  wondered  at ;  for  he  has 
so  much  openness  of  countenance,  that  one  need  not 
have  studied  Lavater  to  trace  the  goodness  of  his 
heart  in  his  features.  Each  vied  with  the  other  to 
serve  us ;  and  they  seemed  to  be  quite  as  happy  as  we 
were.  They  were  entirely  ignorant  of  the  late  agita 
tions  of  Paris,  and  seemed  to  know  of  nothing  but  what 
had  taken  place  within  their  garden  walls.  Happy 
people  !  long  may  you  taste  the  pleasures  of  content 
ment  !  They  were  not  discontented,  I  dare  say,  with 
our  visit ;  and  I  have  no  doubt  of  the  sincerity  with 
which  they  wished  the  pleasure  of  seeing  us  again. 
The  good  woman  told  us,  that,  if  we  had  no  objection, 
she  would  improve  the  opportunity  of  our  carriage  to 
go  and  see  one  of  her  children,  who  was  at  a  couple 
of  miles'  distance.  We  willingly  gave  our  consent; 
and  she  mounted  the  coach-box  beside  the  driver, 
happier  and  more  contented  than  we  who  were  within, 
if  we  might  judge  by  her  countenance,  which  I  have 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  89 

generally  found  to  be  a  very  good  criterion,  particu 
larly  with  persons  in  her  rank  of  life. 

"  There  are  many  country-seats  to  be  sold  in  France, 
at  this  moment,  for  very  little  more  in  paper  than  they 
were  worth  in  specie  a  few  years  since.  The  riddle  is 
solved  when  one  is  told  that  an  assignat  is  a  tender 
for  the  payment  of  debts  contracted  in  specie  before 
the  war,  or  at  any  time  since.  The  justice  of  this  can 
only  be  supported  on  the  same  principle  with  the 
same  fact  in  the  American  war,  —  necessity. 

"  In  coming  to  town  yesterday,  we  observed  with  plea 
sure  that  all  the  windmills  in  the  neighborhood  were 
going ;  which  we  take  for  certain  evidence  of  a  supply 
of  wheat.  In  driving  through  the  streets  yesterday,  I 
was  much  distressed  to  see  the  crowds  of  women  who 
surrounded  the  bakers'  shops.  They  go  there  in  the 
night,  and  some  of  them  tarry  half  the  next  day,  to 
get  the  scanty  pittance  of  half,  and  sometimes  a  quar 
ter,  of  a  pound  of  bread.  This,  to  people  who  were 
in  the  habit  of  eating  from  two  to  four  pounds  of 
bread  per  diem,  is  a  great  and  serious  evil.  The  con 
ception  they  have  of  the  word  '  equality '  was  evidenced 
towards  us ;  for,  when  we  were  passing  the  crowds, 
they  several  times  observed,  '  This  is  equality,'  point 
ing  to  us.  They  had  an  idea  that  every  one  was  to  be 
put  upon  a  footing  in  point  of  fortune,  as  well  as  in 
being  governed  by  equal  laws,  which  a  certain  class 
in  the  community  could  not  trample  on  with  im 
punity. 

"  16th.  —  The  morning  overcast.  This  is  Sunday ; 
and,  if  the  weather  should  prove  pleasant,  I  intend 

12 


90  MEMOIR    OF 

going  to  hear  Mass.  Great  numbers  of  shops  are 
shut  up  this  day,  and  many  people  are  going  to 
Mass.  Went  to  see  Madame  de  La  Fayette:  found 
her  lodged  in  an  obscure  hotel,  and  up  three  flights' 
of  stairs.  She  seems  to  be  much  disturbed  in  mind 
by  her  misfortunes.  May  He  who  rewards  the  vir 
tuous  ease  her  situation,  and  make  her  happy! 

"17th.  —  This  day,  went  to  see  the  Pantheon, 
which  is  celebrated  as  one  of  the  first  buildings  of 
the  kind  in  Europe.  Of  this  I  am  no  judge:  I  can 
only  say,  that  it  as  far  surpasses  every  thing  I  have 
ever  seen  before  as  it  is  possible  to  conceive.  Its 
height,  to  the  upper  part  of  the  dome,  is  three  hun 
dred  and  eighty  French  feet;  and  from  its  top  all 
Paris  is  to  be  seen,  and  affords  one  of  the  most, en 
chanting  scenes  in  nature.  This  building  is  entirely 
of  stone :  not  an  inch  of  wood  is  there  from  top  to 
bottom  of  it.  In  the  vault  under  it,  which  runs  along 
the  whole  extent  of  the  building,  are  deposited  the 
remains  of  Rousseau  and  Voltaire.  The  monuments 
which  contain  them  are  in  wood:  they  are  to  be 
wrought  in  marble,  and  will  be  the  finest  monuments 
in  the  world,  we  are  told.  The  body  of  Marat  \vas 
deposited  here  by  a  decree  of  the  National  Conven 
tion  ;  but  it  is  now  taken  out,  as  unworthy  of  such  a 
place.  Le  Pelletier  was  also,  by  a  decree,  placed 
there ;  but,  after  Marat  was  displaced,  the  friends  of 
Le  Pelletier  thought  fit  to  remove  his  ashes  also.  A 
late  decree  of  the  Convention  forbids  the  placing  or 
raising  a  monument  to  the  memory  of  any  one  there 
until  ten  years  after  his  demise.  This  was  occasioned 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  91 

by  the  error  they  were  led  into  respecting  the  charac 
ter  of  Marat,  which  will  be  handed  down  in  France 
as  disgraceful  to  humanity.  The  sculpture  in  the 
Pantheon  is  very  fine.  There  are  a  great  number  of 
workmen  now  occupied  in  finishing  it ;  but  it  will  not 
be  completed  for  several  years,  although  it  was  begun 
forty-two  years  ago. 

"  Guineas,  this  day,  one  hundred  and  eighty- two 
to  one  hundred  and  eighty-five  livres. 

"  18th.  —  Bread  is  getting  more  plenty  than  it  has 
been,  to  the  joy  of  every  one.  Went  this  evening 
and  saw  the  opera  of  Castor  and  Pollux.  The  scenery 
is  superb,  and  the  singing  enchanting.  The  dancing, 
as  usual  there,  surpassed  any  thing  of  the  sort  in  the 
world.  Both  Hell  and  the  Elysian  Fields  are  repre 
sented  in  this  piece,  and  come  up  to  one's  ideas  of 
both  the  one  and  the  other.  The  orchestra  was  con> 
posed  this  evening  of  eighty-three  performers ;  and, 
in  the  course  of  the  evening,  there  were  between  two 
and  three  hundred  persons  on  the  stage,  — -  as  dancers, 
soldiers,  &c. 

"  20th  Decadi.  •—  This  day,  having  no  business  in 
town,  I  went  with  Russell  and  Higginson  three  or 
four  miles  out  of  town  to  see  a  country-house  which 
was  owned  by  the  Count  d'Artois.  It  is  said  to  have 
been  completed  in  sixty  days  from  its  commencement, 
upon  a  wager  he  laid.  It  is  built  in  a  fanciful  and 
pretty  style.  The  gardens  are  as  romantic  as  possi 
ble  ;  and  the  view  from  some  parts  of  the  house 
beautiful,  particularly  of  Mount  Calvary,  which,  from 
its  appearance,  seems  better  entitled  to  the  name  of 


MEMOIR    OF 


paradise  than  to  the  one  it  bears,  —  for  it  is  under  the 
highest  possible  cultivation,  —  and  from  its  summit 
must  afford  a  delightful  view  of  Paris  and  its  neigh 
borhood.  This  seat  of  the  count's  is  said  to  have 
been  built  by  desire  of  the  late  queen,  and  is  called 
'  the  queen's  bagatelle.'  It  is,  and  ever  will  be,  an 
eternal  monument  of  the  depravity  of  his  mind,  from 
the  disgraceful  figures  which  are  meant  to  adorn  one 
of  the  chambers,  with  which  every  person  not  lost  to 
sense  of  common  decency  must  be  exceedingly  dis 
gusted. 

"  The  Bois  de  Boulogne  is  an  immense  forest,  which 
extends  several  miles  in  circumference,  quite  to  the 
borders  of  Paris,  and,  I  am  told,  is  much  frequented 
in  summer.  The  want  of  fuel  last  winter,  in  conse 
quence  of  the  rivers  being  frozen,  and  preventing  the 
boats  from  coming  down  river,  obliged  the  Conven 
tion  to  cut  down  a  large  part  of  this  delightful  wood, 
to  keep  the  poor  from  suffering. 

"21st.  —  There  is  not  yet  an  increase  of  bread  ; 
and  the  peasants  are  said  to  occasion  the  scarcity  at 
Paris  by  stopping  the  wagons  to  supply  their  own 
wants.  The  weather  is  becoming  pleasant  in  the  ex 
treme.  This  day,  received  letters  from  Boston,  of 
date  of  7th  February.  Visited  the  Hospital  of  the 
Invalids,  and  found  it  very  beautiful.  There  is  an 
immense  dome  to  the  building,  in  the  centre  of  four 
smaller  ones,  all  lighted  from  on  high,  and  decorated 
with  paintings  from  the  first  hands.  The  chapel  is 
magnificent;  but  its  chief  ornament,  the  pulpit,  is 
demolished.  The  elegant  figures  and  pillars  which 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  93 

adorned  it  are  still  there, —  monuments  of  what  it  was. 
The  chapel,  which  is  an  immense  hall,  as  well  as  the 
floors  of  the  domes,  is  in  marble,  elegantly  inlaid 
with  beautiful  figures.  They  are  occupied  in  effacing 
the  fleurs  de  Us  and  other  emblems  of  former  times. 
The  inner  court  of  the  Invalids  is  very  spacious  in 
deed  ;  the  whole  on  an  immense  scale.  We  were 
shown  the  tables  where  the  invalids  dine.  They  were 
kept  in  very  neat  order ;  and  the  pewter  cans  shone 
like  silver.  When  one  contemplates  the  causes  which 
have  produced  the  misfortunes  of  those  people,  or  of 
most  of  them,  and  traces  them  to  the  ambition  of  kings, 
or  tyrants  under  other  names,  he  is  led  to  wish  that 
all  the  world  would  have  the  resolution  to  throw  off  the 
yoke,  and  enlist  under  a  republican  government,  where 
all  does  not  depend  upon  the  caprice  of  a  single  villain, 
but  upon  the  voice  of  the  people.  The  invalids  are 
well  clothed,  and  appear  very  civil.  We  were  not 
once  attacked  for  money  while  Ave  were  there ;  which 
I  thought  something  surprising. 

"  I  took  a  walk  upon  Montmartre,  an  eminence 
just  outside  the  Barriere  of  Paris.  It  commands  one 
of  the  richest  scenes  I  ever  witnessed.  The  whole 
extent  of  Paris,  and  the  country  for  leagues  round,  is 
open  to  view.  The  Seine,  with  its  windings,  heightens 
the  beauty  of  the  scene  very  much.  The  beauty  of 
the  style  of  cultivation,  both  in  the  fields  and  in  the 
gardens,  is  enchanting.  One  of  the  telegraphs  is  on 
the  summit  of  Montmartre ;  and  one  more  is  in  plain 
sight  towards  the  east. 

"  The  preliminaries  of  peace  with  Prussia  are  this 


94  MEMOIR    OF 

day  announced  to  the  Convention,  and  give  pleasure 
to  every  one.  Spain,  too,  is  said  to  be  doing  the  same. 
In  consequence  of  this  news,  guineas,  which  were 
yesterday  two  hundred  and  twenty,  are  this  afternoon 
one  hundred  and  eighty. 

"  23d.  —  Continuance  of  the  fine  weather.  No  defi 
nite  answer  respecting  our  unsettled  business ;  but  I 
am  led  to  hope  something,  from  several  claims  having 
been  lately  settled. 

"  In  passing  by  one  of  the  telegraphs  which  is  situ 
ated  on  the  old  Louvre,  I  found  it  in  operation.  It  is 
often  used  to  communicate  intelligence  to  and  from  the 
army  and  the  different  parts  of  the  Republic.  Every 
different  position  of  the  machinery  remains  stationary 
until  it  is  taken  off  by  the  one  next  to  it,  which  is  on 
Montmartre,  about  a  mile  distant.  It  is  certainly  a 
wonderful  invention,  and  does  great  credit  to  the  pro 
jector.  It  communicates  any  event  with  great  rapidi 
ty,  though  not  in  detail. 

"  24th.  —  The  morning  rainy.  We  had  yesterday 
the  very  unpleasant  information  of  a  declaration  of 
war  by  the  Emperor  of  Morocco  against  the  United 
States  of  America.  This  stroke,  it  appears,  is  not 
aimed  particularly  at  the  American  States,  but  at  all 
those  powers  which  have  not  consuls  at  the  court  of 
Morocco,  amongi  which  we  are  comprised. 

"  Paris  is  quite  tranquil.  The  energy  shown  by  the 
Convention  on  the  late  occasion  has  awed  the  lower 
class  of  people  into  respect  for  them.  Strong  guards 
have  been  sent  into  the  country  to  escort  the  teams 
charged  with  provisions  for  Paris,  which  have  been 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  95 

frequently  interrupted  in  the  neighborhood,  to  supply 
the  wants  of  the  inhabitants.  The  Convention  has 
lately  done  itself  the  highest  honor  in  passing  a  decree 
for  restoring  to  the  heirs  of  the  former  owners  all  the 
estates  of  those  persons  who  suffered  unjustly  during 
the  reign  of  Robespierre.  By  this  righteous  decree, 
thousands  of  widows,  and  children  who  mourn  a  mur 
dered  father,  and  many  a  parent  whose  heart  is  rent 
by  the  loss  of  a  darling  child,  are  in  a  degree  relieved, 
not  only  by  the  opprobrium  being  no  longer  fixed  to 
their  memories  of  having  been  enemies  to  liberty,  but 
by  their  being,  on  the  contrary,  now  regarded  as  mar 
tyrs  for  its  glorious  name.  In  some  instances,  families 
who  had  the  distress  of  poverty  in  addition  to  their 
other  sufferings  are  now  restored  to  easy  circumstances, 
and  in  many  cases  to  affluence. 

"  Exchange  for  louis  two  hundred  and  fourteen. 

"  25th.  —  The  morning  overcast.  I  dined  this  day 
with  Mr.  Murray,  at  the  Maison  de  Grange  Batelliere. 
This,  I  think,  is  more  pleasantly  situated  than  any 
house  in  Paris  which  is  occupied  as  a  hotel.  In 
walking  through  the  streets  of  Paris,  one  would  be 
led  to  suppose  that  every  foot  of  ground  in  the  city 
wras  covered  with  buildings.  This  is,  however,  far  from 
being  the  fact;  and  I  was  much  astonished  to  find 
that  some  houses,  which  appeared  from  a  front  view  to 
have  appertaining  to  each  only  the  land  it  stood  upon, 
have  large  and  elegant  gardens  in  the  rear,  laid  out 
with  all  imaginable  taste,  and  as  spacious  as  one  could 
wish.  It  is  the  same  with  the  external  appearance  of 
most  of  the  houses.  They  have  very  unpromising 


96  MEMOIR    OF 

exteriors ;  but  many  which  bear  this  appearance  are 
decorated  inside  like  palaces. 

"  Several  of  the  National  Convention  dined  with  us 
to-day.  Pelet  was  very  inquisitive  about  our  com 
merce,  and  seemed  anxious  to  know  if  it  was  our 
opinion  that  we  should  be  largely  connected  with  the 
French  after  the  war.  This,  I  have  no  doubt,  will  be 
the  fact,  and  that  it  will  be  advantageous  to  us  in  a 
great  degree.  He  tells  me  that  the  quantity  of  wheat 
raised  in  France  was  never  equal  to  its  wants ;  and 
that,  although  considerable  flour  was  shipped  to  their 
colonies  before  the  war,  this  was  more  than  counter 
balanced  by  the  importations  from  the  States  of  Bar- 
bary  and  the  islands  in  the  Mediterranean ;  and  that 
wheat,  in  the  best  of  times,  was  always  worth  twelve 
livres  tournois  in  specie  per  quintal.  This  would 
give  a  good  peace  freight  from  America. 

"  26th  —  I  have  been  this  day  gratified,  much  be 
yond  the  expectation  I  had  formed,  in  a  visit  to  Ver 
sailles.  We  passed  through  the  beautiful  town  of  St. 
Cloud,  where  is  one  of  the  most  neat  palaces  in 
Europe.  This  was  the  favorite  residence  of  the 
queen;  and  here  she  expended  a  great  deal  of  the 
treasure  of  the  nation.  We  did  not  stop  to  examine 
this  building,  or  its  beautiful  cascades  and  sheets  of 
water,  with  which,  and  parks,  avenues,  statues  and 
other  sculpture,  it  abounds. 

"  The  road  to  Versailles  is  paved,  and  kept  in  excellent 
order ;  and  the  whole  distance  to  it  from  Paris,  which 
is  about  ten  miles,  was  always  lighted,  under  the  old 
government,  over  night.  This  expense  and  unneces- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  97 

sary  piece  of  luxury  and  extravagance  is  now  dispensed 
with. 

"  On  every  side  is  seen  the  labor  which  has  been 
expended  upon  this  country  by  its  former  lords,  to 
accommodate  every  thing  to  their  convenience.  It  is 
very  common  to  see  a  crossway  which  must  have  been 
raised  at  the  expense  of  hundreds  of  thousands,  mere 
ly  to  save  the  descent  into  a  valley,  and  make  the  road 
quite  on  a  level. 

"  There  are  several  small  villages  in  the  route ;  but 
none  afford  any  thing  very  striking  in  appearance, 
except  the  one  before  mentioned. 

"  The  city  of  Versailles  contained,  before  the  revo 
lution,  a  hundred  thousand  inhabitants ;  by  which  one 
may  judge  of  its  extent.  It  takes  up,  however,  much 
more  space  than  cities  of  that  number  of  inhabitants 
in  general  in  France,  on  account  of  the  great  width 
of  the  streets,  which  are  all  beautifully  adorned  with 
rows  of  trees.  There  are  three  streets  which  termi 
nate  in  front  of  the  palace.  They  run  in  a  triangular 
direction,  and  have  a  very  pretty  effect  from  the  palace. 
When  I  say  the  front,  I  write  as  it  struck  me  on  first 
seeing  it.  Its  appearance  is  majestic,  and  excites 
astonishment.  After  passing  half  an  hour  in  what 
I  thought  the  front  of  the  palace,  I  was  undeceived, 
and  told  that  this  was  the  rear ;  which,  upon  going 
towards  the  gardens,  I  soon  found  to  be  the  case. 
The  stables  belonging  to  the  palace  are  situated  be 
tween  the  three  roads  before  mentioned;  the  centre 
one  of  which  leads  to  Paris,  and  is  for  a  long  way 

13 


98  MEMOIR    OF 

broad,  and  adorned  with  trees.  The  extent  of  the 
stables  is  wonderful.  They  are  built  (as  is  the  case 
everywhere  in  France)  of  stone.  The  railing  of  iron 
in  front  of  them  is  a  very  masterpiece  of  workman 
ship  ;  and  it  has  all  the  appurtenances  of  a  stable, 
such  as  curry-combs,  shears,  whips,  halters,  &c.,  in 
terwoven  in  it  in  the  same  metal,  and  must  contain 
a  great  quantity  of  iron.  I  am  astonished  to  see  so 
much  of  this  metal  left  untouched.  It  is  certainly  a 
proof  of  their  being  not  much  in  want  of  it  for  the 
operations  of  the  war ;  as  they  would  not  have  hesi 
tated  to  appropriate  it,  as  they  did  that  in  the  Gardens 
of  the  Tuileries. 

"  In  the  Petites  Ecuries  there  is  preparation  for  six 
hundred  horses ;  and  in  the  Grandes  Ecuries,  for  four 
teen  hundred.  The  distinction  of  great  and  small  sta 
bles  has  arisen  from  the  addition  made  by  Louis  XVI., 
wherein  eight  hundred  horses  more  may  now  be  ac 
commodated  than  there  was  room  for  in  the  old  stables. 
In  the  Grandes  Ecuries  there  is  a  riding-school,  where 
the  Hussars  and  other  gens  d'armes  practise,  riding 
every  day  from  nine  to  twelve  o'clock.  There  remain 
one  hundred  and  twenty  horses  of  the  late  king, 
amongst  which  are  some  very  beautiful  ones.  There 
is  one  of  his  favorite  riding-horses  —  a  dapple- white — 
yet  there.  I  was  a  little  surprised  that  Jacobinism  had 
not  carried  its  frenzy  even  to  the  destruction  of  this 
beast,  as  it  did  to  many  others.  The  horses  are  in 
excellent  order.  Although  they  have  very  little  gram, 
they  are  in  as  good  case  as  one  could  wish.  In  Octo- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  99 

ber,  1792,  there  were  twelve  hundred  horses  in  these 
stables,  many  of  which  have  died  of  honorable  wounds 
in  the  cause  of  freedom  and  France. 

"  In  the  yards  in  front  of  the  stables  there  is  room 
to  draw  up  as  many  horses  in  line  of  battle  as  the 
stables  will  hold.  It  is  finely  paved,  and  kept  very 
neat.  Between  the  stables  and  the  Place  d'Armes  is  an 
extensive  common ;  and  several  roads,  leading  to  dif 
ferent  cities,  cut  it  at  all  angles.  The  Place  d'Armes, 
or  large  court  in  rear  of  the  palace,  has  an  iron  rail 
ing  round  it,  and  is  large  enough  to  contain  several 
regiments  of  men  drawn  up. 

"  The  stairs  leading  to  the  queen's  apartments  are 
entirely  of  marble,  richly  inlaid  in  various  colors,  and 
must  astonish  every  one  who  contemplates  the  amaz 
ing  expense  incurred.  However,  eighty  millions  ster 
ling  will,  to  be  sure,  go  a  great  way ;  and  this  is  the  sum 
said  to  have  been  laid  out  by  Louis  XIV.  only,  upon  the 
city  of  Versailles.  The  apartments  are  now  in  a  very 
wretched  state,  being  deprived  of  their  tapestry  and 
furniture  of  every  kind.  The  ceilings  of  the  rooms, 
which  still  are  quite  unimpaired,  convey  to  the  mind 
what  the  whole  must  have  once  been,  to  be  on  a  par 
with  this  part  of  them.  Elegant  sculpture  and  paint 
ings  from  the  first  hands  adorn  every  one  of  them. 

"  You  are  shown  a  very  beautiful  apartment  in  every 
fine  house  in  France,  which  is  called  the  dressing- 
chamber.  This  is  always  lined  with  looking-glasses, 
and  is  the  most  highly  furnished  chamber  in  the  house. 
In  one  of  the  palaces  of  Versailles  there  is  a  recess 
formed  to  receive  a  sofa.  The  sides  and  back  of  this 


100  MEMOIR    OF 

recess  are  entirely  in  looking-glass ;  and  it  is  so  ar 
ranged,  that  two  persons  looking  into  the  side-glasses 
see  themselves  multiplied  one  hundred  and  twenty 
times.  This  has  given  rise  to  many  stories,  much  to 
the  prejudice  of  the  late  queen.  The  suite  of  rooms 
in  the  king's  apartments,  known  by  the  names,  Hall 
of  War,  the  Hall  of  Peace,  of  Hercules,  of  Bac 
chus,  &c.,  are  adorned  with  some  of  the  first  paintings 
the  world  can  now  boast  of.  The  grand  gallery  is 
the  tout  ensemble  of  all  that  is  delightful.  There  are 
nine  large  paintings,  and  eighteen  small  ones,  repre 
senting  the  conquests  of  Louis  XIV.  They  are  done 
by  the  first  masters  of  the  times ;  and  the  likenesses  of 
Louis,  Turenne,  and  the  principal  actors  of  the  times, 
are  preserved  with  great  nicety.  From  all  these 
rooms,  the  views  of  the  gardens  surpass  what  the  most 
lively  imagination  could  paint. 

"From  this  suite  we  were  taken  to  a  beautiful 
chapel  appertaining  to  the  palace.  The  emblems  of 
royalty  are  not  yet  effaced  in  this  place,  —  the  only 
one  where  I  remember  to  have  seen  them  remaining 
in  France.  The  private  chapel  of  the  royal  family  is 
in  the  gallery  of  this  chapel.  Here  they  said  Mass 
when  ill. 

"  The  Opera  House  is  said  to  be  the  first  in  the 
world.  It  has  the  remains  of  former  magnificence, 
but  is  very  much  injured  since  the  revolution. 

"  The  pile  of  buildings  of  the  palace  with  its  appur 
tenances  is  astonishing.  Where  the  Gardes  du  Roi 
were  once  lodged,  are  established  national  workshops 
in  cannon  and  small-arms. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  101 

"  To  give  one  an  idea  of  the  Gardens  of  the 
Palace,  and  the  scale  upon  which  they  are  laid  out, 
it  is  enough  to  say  that  there  are  upwards  of  one 
thousand  of  large  orange-trees  in  the  greenhouse,  some 
of  which,  we  were  assured,  are  nearly  five  hundred 
years  old. 

"  30th.  —  This  day,  arrived  James  Carter  from 
Havre,  and  handed  me  a  number  of  letters,  which 
gave  comfort  to  my  soul. 

"  The  Convention  is  said  to  have  discovered  a  plot, 
at  the  head  of  which  were  Cambon  and  the  other 
Jacobins  who  were  of  the  Convention,  and  who  have 
done  every  thing  to  produce  an  insurrection  and  stir 
up  a  disturbance  in  Paris.  To  effect  this,  they  are 
said  to  have  taken  measures  to  stop  the  arrival  of 
grain ;  and  have  distributed  money  amongst  the  mal 
contents,  to  aid  them  in  their  deeds  of  darkness. 
They  intended  to  have  cut  off  the  present  ruling 
members  of  the  Convention ;  and,  that  they  might 
bring  the  royalists  into  their  party,  they  intended  to 
establish  young  Capet  on  the  throne.  All  this  has 
been  discovered ;  and  the  authors  or  the  heads  of  the 
party  are  called  upon  to  come  to  the  Convention  and 
vindicate  themselves,  or  they  are  deemed  convicted 
and  sentenced  to  transportation. 

"Floreal  1st.  —  This  day  I  accompanied  my  friend, 
J.  Russell,  to  the  Croix  de  Berney,  on  his  way  to  Havre. 
The  day  pleasant.  Guineas,  two  hundred  and  twenty. 

2d.  —  The  day  overcast.  Exchange,  two  hundred 
and  thirty.  Bread  a  little  more  plenty;  and  it  is  hoped 
that  it  will  continue  so. 


102  MEMOIR    OF 

"  3d  and  4th.  —  Pleasant  weather.  All  quiet  at 
Paris. 

«  5th.  —  The  alternate  rain  and  sunshine,  which 
have  been  in  constant  succession  for  some  time  past, 
promise  an  abundant  harvest;  which  will  be  very 
necessary  for  the  happiness  of  the  inhabitants  of 
France.  It  is  said  that  Spain  has  made  a  treaty  of 
peace  with  this  Republic ;  in  which  case,  there  remain 
only  England  and  the  Emperor  to  sustain  the  coming 
campaign.  James  Carter  left  Paris  for  Havre  this 
day.  Guineas,  two  hundred  and  forty  to  two  hundred 
and  thirty-seven. 

"  6th.  —  Yesterday  was  announced  to  the  Conven 
tion  a  peace  with  a  large  body  of  people  who  have 
been  a  long  time  in  insurrection  in  Normandy  and 
the  neighborhood.  They  were  known  under  the 
name  of  Chouans,  from  their  leader's  name.  This  is 
a  very  important  event.  The  civil  war  has  cost  the 
Republic  oceans  of  blood  and  millions  of  money. 
The  indiscreet  decrees  respecting  religion  were  the 
cause  of  all  this  mischief;  and  fanaticism  could  not 
bear  the  shock.  Revolt  was  the  consequence ;  and  the 
malcontents  were  joined  by  all  the  others  in  the  Re 
public,  whether  from  religious  or  other  motives,  and 
the  combined  force  became  very  potent.  The  lower 
class  of  Chouans  have  committed  great  enormities,  — 
murdering  and  robbing  in  every  part  of  the  country 
where  they  have  been.  The  mails  which  were  obliged 
to  pass  in  the  neighborhood  went  under  a  strong 
escort,  and  were  often  attacked.  A  cockade  of  the 
nation  was  enough  to  insure  death.  Those,  therefore, 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  103 

who  passed  the  road,  took  the  precaution  to  leave  any 
thing  of  the  kind  behind,  and  to  adopt  a  cross  in 
the  place  of  this  badge.  Guineas,  two  hundred  and 
thirty-seven. 

"7th.  —  The  Convention  have  this  day  decreed  that 
specie  shall  be  considered  as  merchandise,  and  that 
every  one  may  exchange  assignats  against  it.  A  few 
months  since,  it  would  have  cost  a  Frenchman  his 
head  to  have  been  detected  in  making  a  difference 
between  assignats  and  specie.  As  this  will  bring 
people  out  who  were  before  afraid  of  doing  any  thing 
in  this  way,  it  is  supposed  that  there  will  be  a  great 
call  in  the  market  for  specie,  and  that  it  will  rise  very 
much.  Another  circumstance,  which  will  tend  very 
much  to  occasion  a  fall  of  the  paper,  is  that  the  As 
sembly  has  decreed  to  pay  all  specie  contracts  in  paper 
at  the  exchange.  This  will  throw  a  vast  quantity  of 
paper  into  the  market;  and  I  should  not  be  astonished 
if  it  were  refused  altogether.  Some  of  our  country 
men  have  half  a  million  of  dollars  in  specie  due. 
This  will  make  a  great  sum  at  the  present  exchange. 

"This  day,  Messrs.  Codman,  Deblois,  and  myself 
went  to  see  the  famous  manufacture  of  porcelain  at 
Sevres,  about  seven  miles  from  Paris.  The  building 
is  very  large,  and  surrounded  by  gardens  under  the 
highest  cultivation,  and  magnificent  country-seats. 
The  porcelain  made  at  Sevres  has  the  reputation  of 
being  the  finest  in  the  world.  Some  pieces  there  have 
no  price,  particularly  two  pictures  painted  on  china, 
which  are  celebrated  as  masterpieces  of  the  art.  The 
excellence  of  this  is  that  their  colors  can  never  pass 


104  MEMOIR    OF 

away ;  and,  although  these  pieces  have  been  painted  a 
number  of  years,  they  are  as  fresh  as  if  the  production 
of  yesterday.  They  are  to  have  a  place  in  the  Museum. 
The  great  vase  is  the  largest  piece  of  china  ever  made 
there,  and  is  immensely  valuable.  We  were  shown 
cups  which  cost  several  guineas  each  in  the  best  of 
times.  For  one  service  of  porcelain  which  was  dis 
played,  they  asked  one  hundred  and  fifty  thousand 
livres ;  and,  as  .  they  do  not  add  on  these  valuable 
articles  more  than  fifty  per  cent  upon  the  old  prices, 
this  must  have  been  valued  at  nearly  twenty  thousand 
dollars  before  the  revolution. 

"  We  were  shown  the  process ;  and,  indeed,  saw  the 
clay  moulded,  and  a  plate  made  in  a  very  short  time. 
We  were  carried  through  the  rooms  where  the  dif 
ferent  parts  of  the  work  are  completed,  and  were 
much  amused.  There  were  a  great  number  employed 
in  painting;  and  in  one  room  there  were  none  but 
women,  who  were  also  painting  and  burnishing.  The 
manufactory  is  extensive,  and  formerly  employed  a 
great  many  people.  It  was  a  royal  manufactory, 
and  is  now  national  property.  The  rooms  where 
the  china  is  displayed  are  extensive,  and  the  care 
taken  of  them  is  great.  Codman  and  I  bought  a 
number  of  trifles.  In  the  route  from  Paris  to  Sevres, 
there  is  a  bottle  manufactory,  which  made  upwards 
of  four  thousand  bottles  per  diem.  The  want  of 
charcoal  now  stops  the  business  entirely.  This  even 
ing,  guineas  are  two  hundred  and  fifty  to  two  hun 
dred  and  sixty,  and  rising. 

"  8th.  —  The  morning  promises  a  finer  day  than  we 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS.  105 

have  had  for  some  time  past.  This  day  I  visited  the 
celebrated  Gobelin  manufactory  of  tapestry,  about  a 
mile  and  a  half  from  the  Palais  d'Egalite,  and  within 
the  walls  of  the  city.  The  buildings  that  contain 
these  masterpieces  of  excellence  are  large  and  nu 
merous.  They  have  the  appearance  of  great  age ; 
and  the  people  we  conversed  with  know  nothing 
about  the  tune  when  the  factory  was  established,  or 
whether  the  buildings  were  originally  occupied  in  the 
present  way.  Before  the  revolution,  this  was  a  royal 
manufactory,  and  is  now  national  property.  The 
number  of  people  employed  there  before  the  present 
war  were  one  hundred ;  but  that  number  is  now  de 
creased  to  sixty;  and  forty,  having  been  of  the  first 
requisition,  are  now  on  the  frontiers,  or  have  gone 
where  they  learn  war  no  more.  The  looms,  and 
indeed  the  apartments,  of  this  manufactory  do  not 
accord  with  the  exquisite  delicacy  of  the  employment, 
but,  on  the  contrary,  mark  the  greatest  contrast  pos 
sible.  Overhung  with  cobwebs,  and  in  other  particu 
lars  very  much  neglected,  they  speak  the  poverty  of 
the  factory.  The  people  employed  here  have  from 
five  to  eight  livres  a  day  in  paper,  and  nourish  them 
selves.  The  copies  from  which  the  weavers  work  are 
among  the  first  paintings  in  the  world,  in  point  of 
elegance,  and  the  productions  of  the  most  celebrated 
masters.  The  copy  is  placed  behind  the  weaver ;  and, 
as  he  manages  his  colors,  he  takes  the  tints  of  what 
ever  he  wishes  to  imitate  with  his  eye,  and  makes 
choice  of  his  silk  or  worsted  in  conformity.  The 
most  elegant  painting  does  not  exceed  some  of  the 

14 


106  MEMOIR    OF 

work  now  there;  and  at  a  little  distance  cannot  be  dis 
tinguished  from  it,  unless  by  a  very  critical  eye.  Some 
of  the  pictures  exhibited  in  the  chambers  above  ex 
ceed  what  the  liveliest  fancy  can  imagine.  Mr.  Trum- 
bull  is  of  opinion  that  the  weaver  must  have  much 
more  merit  than  the  first  copy-painter  can  have. 
There  is  one  kind  of  this  tapestry  which  is  placed 
horizontally;  and,  the  back  of  the  picture  being  up 
permost,  the  face  is  not  seen  until  it  is  taken  out  of 
the  loom,  which  is  sometimes  four  years  from  its  com 
mencement.  The  colors  are  all  in  worsted  or  silk ; 
the  brightest  are  of  the  latter ;  and  they  are  worked 
in  so  as  not  to  be  distinguishable  in  the  picture. 
There  are  several  pieces,  which  are  yet  unfinished, 
which  were  begun  before  the  revolution.  They  are 
historical  pieces ;  and,  as  they  contain  the  figures  of 
Louis  XIV.  and  other  monarchs,  whose  deeds  they 
are  meant  to  record,  they  have  not  been  worked  upon 
for  some  time ;  and  I  am  surprised  that  they  were  not 
destroyed  at  the  time  when  every  thing  of  the  kind, 
however  valuable  from  its  workmanship,  and  however 
much  it  ought  to  have  been  respected  on  account  of 
the  arts,  was  sacrificed  by  the  Vandals  who  bore  the 
sway  under  Robespierre.  There  were  no  pieces  of 
the  tapestry  which  were  within  the  reach  of  my  purse. 
In  returning  from  Gobelin,  we  stopped  at  the  ci-devant 
Jardin  du  E,oi.  It  is  laid  out  with  admirable  taste,  and 
is  open  to  every  one  who  pleases  to  walk  there.  In 
the  centre  is  a  pond  and  an  enclosure,  in  which  there 
are  a  great  number  of  rare  birds.  We  saw  here  a 
lion,  a  tiger,  several  kinds  of  monkeys,  and  two  white 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  107 

bears :  these  last  are  from  Greenland.  They  are  large, 
and  appear  ferocious.  The  lion  is  perfectly  good- 
humored;  but  the  tiger  is  all  that  can  be  expected 
from  that  animal ;  and  my  blood  chilled  as  I  observed 
him.  One  of  the  monkeys  is  remarkably  large,  and  is 
as  dangerous  as  the  tiger  himself.  At  this  garden 
(now  called  the  Garden  of  Plants)  there  are  a  great 
number  of  natural  curiosities,  preserved  in  a  long, 
elegant  building,  which  we  had  not  time  to  visit,  and 
with  which  I  flatter  myself  with  the  prospect  of 
another  hour  of  pleasure  before  I  leave  France. 

"  9th.  —  Rainy  and  unpleasant.  Assignats  depre 
ciating  very  fast,  and  reminding  us  of  our  old  conti 
nental  paper. 

"  10th.  — Went  to  the  manufacture  of  porcelain  in 
the  Rue  du  Temple.  Saw  a  great  deal  of  china  of 
most  delightful  fabric,  which  led  me  into  some  ex 
travagances. 

"  llth,  12th,  13th,  and  14th.  —  Cloudy  and  unplea 
sant  weather,  which  confined  me  pretty  much  to  the 
house.  Guineas  rise  to  three  hundred  and  forty  to 
three  hundred  and  fifty." 

Although  a  short  account  has  already  been  given  * 
of  the  execution  of  Fouquier  Tinville  and  others, 
written  from  memory  in  the  autobiographical  sketch 
dated  at  Saratoga,  in  July,  1846,  —  more  than  half  a 
century  after  the  occurrence,  —  the  entire  description 
of  the  scene,  given  in  a  diary  kept  at  the  time,  is 
here  inserted,  as  the  details  convey  some  further  in- 

*  Page  56. 


108  MEMOIR   OF 

formation  in  regard  to  the   state  of  public  feeling 
in  Paris. 

"  17th.  —  This  day  the  accusateur-general  under 
Robespierre,  after  a  trial  of  nearly  three  months,  was 
convicted  of  having  caused  the  death  of  the  innocent 
and  helpless,  and  was  condemned  to  suffer  death,  with 
sixteen  of  the  jury  who  were  partners  in  his  guilt. 
The  public  indignation  against  this  man  is  very  great  ; 
and  I  believe,  that,  had  he  not  been  offered  up  as  a 
sacrifice  to  appease  the  multitude,  they  would  have 
vented  their  ire  somewhere  else.  Old  persons  who 
had  passed  the  hour  of  conspiracy,  and  young  ones 
who  had  not  arrived  at  it,  shared  the  same  fate  under 
the  judgment  of  this  monster.  Women  who  were  far 
advanced  in  pregnancy  met  a  smilar  fate ;  and  no  sex, 
age,  or  condition,  was  respected  by  this  greatest  of 
wretches.  The  fairness  shown  in  his  trial  does  honor 
to  the  tribunal,  and  is  a  great  contrast  to  the  proceed 
ings  at  the  tribunal  where  he  brought  forward  his 
accusations.  Fifty  to  sixty  in  a  day  were  sacrificed  to 
the  malice  of  this  monster,  who  seemed  to  delight  in 
the  slaughter  he  was  administering.  It  was  expected 
he  would  be  guillotined  at  four  o'clock  this  day ;  and 
great  numbers  were  out  to  see  him  pay  the  debt  due 
to  justice.  They  were  disappointed.  To-morrow  he 
dies,  so  Gen.  Menard  tells  me.  I  shall  be  unfeeling 
enough  to  visit  the  place  of  execution.  Louis,  three 
hundred  and  twenty-five. 

"  18th.  —  At  ten  o'clock  this  day,  Mr.  Russell  and 
myself  went  to  the  Place  de  Greve,  where  there  were 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS.  109 

already  some  thousands  of  persons  collected  to  see 
the  execution  of  the  condemned  Fouquier  Tinville 
and  his  co-accuses.  The  fatal  instrument  was  erected ; 
and  the  windows  of  every  house  were  thronged  with 
females,  who  had  come  to  the  exhibition ;  while  places 
in  the  neighboring  houses  were  in  such  request,  that 
fifty  livres  were  paid  for  the  privilege  of  going  into  a 
chamber  near  which  was  placed  the  guillotine.  The 
number  of  women  present  on  such  an  occasion  struck 
me  with  disgust,  and  at  the  same  time  commanded 
my  pity,  when  I  reflected  upon  the  cause  of  the  indif 
ference  with  which  exhibitions  of  the  kind  are  seen  at 
Paris,  which  undoubtedly  has  arisen  from  their  fre 
quency.  The  patrols  were  many;  and  the  populace 
were  kept  at  a  distance  from  the  guillotine  by  the 
chasseurs,  who  were  on  guard  this  day.  There  was 
scarcely  a  face  that  did  not  wear  a  smile ;  and  anxiety 
was  marked  on  the  countenance  of  every  one,  but  of 
a  different  kind  from  what  is  visible  at  executions 
with  us ;  for  it  seemed  to  be  expressive  of  a  wish  that 
the  criminals  would  arrive,  that  they  might  feast  upon 
the  sight  of  blood.  Such  have  been  the  crimes  of 
those  men,  and  particularly  of  Fouquier  Tinville, 
who  was  attorney-general  during  the  horrid  executions 
under  the  monster  Robespierre,  that  it  is  not  to  be 
wondered  at  that  all  France  called  for  their  lives  to 
appease  the  manes  of  those  poor  wretches  who  had 
been  precipitated  into  eternity  with  all  their  sins  upon 
their  heads,  many  without  even  an  accusation,  or,  if 
accused,  never  having  an  opportunity  to  defend  them 
selves. 


110  MEMOIR    OF 

"  This  same  Fouquier  was  not  contented  with  the 
sacrifice  of  a  few,  but  has  frequently  had  condemned 
and  executed  from  thirty  to  forty  within  three  hours. 
Whenever  there  were  any  trials  to  come  on  in  the 
morning,  the  guillotine  was  placed,  and  the  wagons 
brought,  upon  the  presumption  that  there  would  be 
use  for  both.  Under  these  circumstances,  I  say,  it  is 
not  to  be  wondered  at  that  the  people  wished  they 
might  expiate  their  crimes  with  their  lives;  but  to 
insult  misery  is  brutal  and  unfeeling. 

"At  a  quarter  before  eleven  o'clock,  the  cavalry 
made  its  appearance ;  and  soon  followed  three  carts,  in 
which  were  the  prisoners,  —  all  of  them  seated  in  the 
carts.  They  had  their  hair  cut  short,  and  their  hands 
tied  behind  them,  and  were  covered  with  loose  great 
coats.  They  were  seated  with  their  backs  to  the 
horses;  and  I  observed,  that,  as  soon  as  the  carts 
turned  the  corner  to  come  into  the  square,  they  looked 
towards  the  instrument  which  was  to  deprive  them  of 
life. 

"  As  soon  as  they  appeared,  there  was  a  general  clap 
of  triumph.  For  my  own  part,  I  expected  to  have 
sunk  under  the  oppression  which  I  felt :  the  reflection 
upon  the  fate  of  thousands,  many  of  whom  were  as 
innocent  of  the  crimes  with  which  they  were  charged 
as  I  was,  the  idea  of  the  misery  into  which  the  dis 
tressed  families  of  those  who  had  suffered  had  been 
precipitated,  —  all  served  to  depress  my  spirits,  and 
make  me  repent  my  curiosity,  and  wish  myself  at  my 
lodgings. 

"The  present  accusateur-public  of  the  Revolution- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  Ill 

ary  Tribunal  preceded  the  cavalcade  in  a  coach,  which 
was  followed  by  a  very  strong  guard  of  horse,  and 
then  the  wagons  which  bore  the  condemned. 

"  When  arrived  at  the  fatal  spot,  they  descended 
from  the  carts,  some  of  them  with  a  spring,  showing 
as  little  concern  as  if  they  had  come  there  on  a  party 
of  pleasure ;  and  some,  as  they  descended,  eying  the 
machine  for  some  time,  but  with  great  coolness.  I  was 
about  twenty  paces  from  the  stage,  and  had  an  opera- 
glass,  which  gave  me  an  opportunity  to  see  every  fea 
ture  with  great  distinctness.  The  cart  which  was  first 
unloaded  drove  up  to  the  side  of  the  stage  upon  which 
the  guillotine  is  placed,  and  a  basket  about  seven  feet 
long  was  fastened  into  it.  When  these  arrangements 
were  made,  and  all  the  prisoners  on  the  ground,  the 
first  victim  was  Pierre  Louis  Le  Roy,  one  of  the 
revolutionary  jury.  He  was  a  ci-devant  marquis,  and 
had  taken  the  name  of  Tenth  of  August.  As  soon 
as  he  had  mounted,  which  was  done  with  a  resolute 
step  and  a  determined  look,  he  began  to  speak ;  but 
the  murmurs  prevented  his  being  heard;  and,  the 
executioners  paying  no  attention  to  his  wishes  to 
speak,  he  was  thrust  under  the  fatal  knife,  which 
severed  his  head  in  the  twinkling  of  an  eye.  The 
inhuman  and  unfeeling  conduct  of  the  execution 
ers  is  beyond  description.  One  takes  the  bloody 
head,  and  the  other  handles  the  mangled  corpse, 
with  as  little  ceremony  as  one  would  a  beast  at  a 
slaughter-house.  They  are  both  thrown  (not  laid) 
into  the  large  basket ;  the  axe  is  again  hoisted  up, 
and  another  victim  brought  forward.  The  principal 


MEMOIR    OF 


part  of  the  number  executed  were  of  a  middle  age. 
Amongst  them  were  three  of  the  former  judges,  one 
president,  and  eight  of  the  jurors  of  the  Revolution 
ary  Tribunal.  The  remainder  were  also  subalterns  in 
that  fatal  tribunal;  and,  if  this  prompt  machine  of 
death  ever  did  pure  justice,  it  is  the  general  opinion 
that  it  did  it  this  day. 

"  Several  of  the  criminals  looked  with  indignation 
on  the  spectators,  and  uttered  something  which  we 
could  not  hear  ;  three,  particularly,  would  not  let  the 
executioners  hold  their  heads  down,  that  the  axe  might 
have  the  fairer  opportunity  of  doing  its  duty  without 
mangling.  They  looked  on  each  side,  as  their  heads 
were  precipitated  through  the  fatal  hole,  and  seemed 
to  bid  defiance  to  death.  They  all  walked  up  to  the 
board  against  which  they  are  tied  with  great  firmness, 
and  looked  round  with  perfect  composure. 

"  Fouquier,  as  being  the  most'  culpable,  was  kept 
until  the  last,  and  must  have  suffered  a  thousand 
deaths  in  seeing  those  suffer  who  went  before  him. 
When  he  mounted,  he  had  an  air  of  disdain  upon  his 
countenance,  and  seemed  to  bid  defiance  to  the  king 
of  terrors.  He  also  spoke  ;  but  I  was  unable  to  hear 
what  [he  said.  This  sight,  which  (however  vile  the 
criminals)  one  would  suppose  could  have  been  seen 
by  no  one  without  emotion,  was  looked  upon  by  those 
who  were  about  me  with  all  the  indifference  imagina 
ble  ;  and  the  women  who  were  in  the  chamber  where 
I  was,  witnessed  it  with  as  little  feeling  as  a  block  of 
marble  would  have  had.  The  clap  of  applause  at  a 
moment  like  this  is  to  my  mind  disgraceful,  and 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  113 

shows  the  depravity  of  the  minds  of  those  who  exhibit 
such  signs  of  triumph.  In  fourteen  minutes  from  the 
time  when  the  first  criminal  was  brought  upon  the 
stage,  the  last  head  was  in  the  basket ;  and  in  this 
time  there  were  at  least  two  minutes  lost  in  changing 
the  basket,  as  one  was  full  of  bodies,  and  was  drawn 
off,  and  another  was  brought  alongside  the  stage  to 
receive  the  remainder;  so  that,  if  the  first  basket 
would  have  held  the  whole,  this  operation  upon  the 
sixteen  would  have  been  performed  in  twelve  minutes. 
The  expedition  with  which  it  is  completed  is  the  only 
thing  in  which  there  is  the  smallest  show  of  humani 
ty.  The  body  does  not  move;  not  a  spasm  can  be 
seen  to  contract  it.  The  last  person  is  always  the 
one  esteemed  most  culpable;  and  his  head  is  taken 
up  with  the  most  brutal  indifference,  and  shown  to 
the  spectators  all  round  the  scaffold.  The  sight  of 
the  mangled  corpses,  the  heads  drenched  in  blood, 
and  the  hard-heartedness  of  the  people,  make  this  the 
most  awful  spectacle  one  can  imagine.  The  execution 
ers  were  as  bloody  as  butchers,  and  quite  as  indifferent 
as  our  beef-dealers  are  when  cutting  up  the  ox  they 
have  slaughtered.  Notwithstanding  the  horror  of  this 
sight,  I  do  not  repent  having  been  witness  to  it.  I 
had  never  thought  it  possible  for  people  to  meet  death 
with  so  much  indifference.  It  has  become  so  familiar 
to  them  that  they  think  nothing  of  it,  even  when  they 
are  the  victims.  I  tarried  until  the  mob  had  gone  off, 
and  saw  the  machine  washed  down,  while  gallons  of 
blood  were  streaming  from  it.  It  is  dangerous  to 
familiarize  the  public  to  exhibitions  of  this  kind. 

15 


114  MEMOIR    OF 

I  know  this  by  my  own  feelings ;  for  certain  I  am 
that  my  emotion  decreased  with  every  head  that 
fell. 

"  19th.  —  Pleasant  weather. 

"  20th.  —  This  day,  went  to  Ablens  sur  Seine,  to 
the  place  bought  by  Russell  and  Higginson.  The 
country  is  becoming  charming ;  the  crops  promise 
well ;  and  all  nature  seems  to  rejoice. 

"  Guineas,  three  hundred  and  seventy. 

"  21st.  —Very  pleasant,  and  the  weather  becoming 
warm.  We  are  told  that  the  infamous  Lebon,  whose 
cruelties  have  exceeded  those  of  Nero  himself,  is  soon 
to  be  tried;  and  his  life  will  end  on  the  Place  de 
Greve,  sans  doute. 

"  To-morrow  I  set  off  for  Holland  with  Messrs. 
Russell  and  Jeffrey." 

The  following  extracts  from  the  journal  kept  by  so 
careful  and  intelligent  an  observer,  while  travelling 
through  a  portion  of  France  and  Holland,  will  pro 
bably  be  found  interesting.  They  contain  his  remarks 
on  the  manners  of  the  people  there  in  the  last  cen 
tury;  on  the  devastation  of  war,  then  recent,  with 
descriptions  of  fortified  places  of  great  strength, 
though  far  inferior  to  that  which  is  now  the  object 
of  the  grand  struggle  in  the  Crimea;  and  on  the 
agriculture  and  general  appearance  of  the  country. 
They  relate  further  incidents,  too,  in  the  suppression 
of  the  last  struggles  for  the  system  which  had  pre 
vailed  in  the  reign  of  terror,  and  which  finally  expired 
in  one  trial  and  execution  of  a  deeply  tragic  character, 


THOMAS   HANDASYD   PERKINS.  115 

the  report  of  which,  by  an  eye-witness,  will  be  found 
to  confirm  the  statement  of  historians :  — 

"1795.  —  This  llth  of  May,  left  Paris  at  one 
o'clock,  in  company  with  Mr.  J.  Russell,  of  Boston, 
and  Mr.  Jeffrey,  also  of  that  place,  for  a  journey  to 
Holland.  Notwithstanding  the  many  charms  which 
Paris  has  for  people  in  general,  I  confess  I  never  took 
my  leave  of  a  place  in  my  life  with  less  regret.  .  .  .  The 
accounts  which  a  stranger  has  to  settle  with  all  about 
him,  when  he  leaves  any  place  in  France  where  he 
has  resided  any  considerable  time,  are  not  of  the  most 
pleasant  kind.  These  are  with  the  domestiques  of 
every  department,  which  are  not  few.  They  all  make 
up  their  minds  that  they  ought  to  receive  a  certain 
sum ;  but,  trusting  to  your  generosity  that  they  shall 
be  overpaid  if  it  be  left  to  yourself,  they  make  no 
direct  demand.  Now,  if  one  can  agree  in  calculation 
with  the  amount  they  make  up  to  themselves,  it  will 
always  be  best  to  pay  a  little  over  than  a  sou  under 
it,  as  by  this  single  action  you  are  to  be  judged  ;  and 
should  you  give  them  less  than  the  sum  they  think 
strictly  their  due,  or  even  that  sum  only,  all  the  good 
actions  of  your  life  will  not  save  you  from  the  epithet 
which  you  will  have  applied  to  you  in  their  minds,  of 
C'est  un  miserable.  An  acquaintance  with  this  fact 
has  perhaps  saved  us  from  coming  under  this  de 
scription  ;  and  a  few  livres  entitled  us  to  Ce  sont  de 
braves  gens,  and  a  thousand  Dieu  vous  benisse,  from 
all  around  us. 

"  From  the  accounts  we  have  received  of  the  bad- 


116  MEMOIR   OF 

ness  of  the  attendance  at  the  post-houses,  we  antici 
pated  much  trouble  in  procuring  post-horses.  And, 
indeed,  we  made  a  bad  beginning ;  for,  upon  sending 
to  the  Post  House  at  Paris,  we  found  we  could  not 
have  horses  there  for  two  days ;  and  we  were  therefore 
obliged  to  take  our  horses,  which  we  had  driven  in 
Paris,  out  to  Bourget,  which  is  three  leagues  from 
Paris.  I  had  never  passed  the  Barriere,  which  takes 
us  out  to  this  place  ;  and,  had  we  not  now  come  this 
way,  I  should  have  lost  the  view  of  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  parts  of  the  environs  of  Paris  I  have  yet 
seen.  The  roads  are  fine;  and  a  short  time  set  us 
down  at  the  first  post,  where  we  were  not  long  de 
tained  for  post-horses,  with  which  we  cantered  on  to 
Louvres,  which  is  three  leagues  from  Bourget.  At 
all  the  places  where  are  the  post-houses,  there  is  a 
small  village,  —  this  is  every  two  or  three  leagues,  — 
in  which  place  are  collected  the  farmers  who  cultivate 
the  ground  in  the  intermediate  space;  and  for  this 
reason  we  see  no  such  thing  as  a  farmer's  house  stand 
ing  by  itself,  surrounded  by  its  noble  barns  and  grana 
ries,  —=•  a  sight  which  is  so  frequent  and  so  pleasing  in 
America.  These  towns,  or  bourgs,  bear  a  great  resem 
blance  to  each  other,  and  are  poorly  built,  with  very 
crooked  streets,  and  the  evident  marks  of  poverty 
upon  every  house.  The  contrast  is  to  be  drawn  be 
tween  this  wretched  picture  and  the  magnificence  of 
the  chateau  which  you  always  see  in  the  neighborhood 
of  those  villages,  and  which  was  formerly  occupied 
by  some  lord  or  other  nobleman,  whose  vassals  were 
happy  in  procuring  by  the  sweat  of  their  brows  a 


THOMAS   HAND  AS  YD    PERKINS.  117 

scanty  subsistence  in  a  life  devoted  to  him.  These 
post-towns  resemble  each  other  very  much,  and  give 
one  no  very  favorable  idea  of  the  cleanliness  of  the  in 
habitants.  No  sooner  does  one  alight  at  those  towns 
than  he  is  surrounded  by  a  certain  class  of  miserables, 
who  have  claims,  and  just  ones  too,  upon  every  one 
who  can  afford  to  ride ;  and  happy  the  man  who  has 
a  heart  to  open  his  purse-strings  to  the  adjustment 
of  accounts  on  which  so  much  enjoyment  depends. 
No  sooner  had  we  alighted  than  a  group  of  these 
miser ables  made  a  sortie  from  a  wretched  bed  in  the 
stable,  and  implored  our  charity.  Their  very  appear 
ance  had  anticipated  their  request ;  and  we  got  their 
blessings.  And  I  suspect,  from  the  event,  we  had  the 
appearance  of  earning  it  with  a  good  will;  for  the 
good  people  brought  every  one  they  could  find  who 
they  thought  had  a  claim ;  and,  thank  God  !  we  had 
both  will  and  power  to  make  them  all  happy  for  the 
moment.  We  find  much  less  difficulty  in  getting 
post-horses  than  one  would  have  expected ;  and,  there 
fore,  were  not  detained  long  at  this  place. 

"The  postilion  is  entitled  to  five  livres  the  post. 
We  pay  him  eight ;  which  I  think  accounts  for  the 
expedition  with  which  we  are  served.  And  this  is 
the  most  economical  practice  a  man  can  adopt  in 
France ;  for,  without  the  aid  of  the  postilion,  you  are 
detained  in  a  wretched  hovel,  where  you  can  take  no 
pleasure,  nor  find  even  tolerable  accommodation.  I 
therefore  recommend  to  all  my  friends  to  keep  well 
with  this  class  of  people,  in  whose  power  every  travel 
ler  is  obliged  to  put  himself  very  much.  When  we 


118  MEMOIR   OF 

stopped  a  la  Chapelle  three  leagues  from  Louvres,  we 
had  scarcely  seen  the  postilion  dismount,  before  the 
sight  of  our  carriage,  which  is  really  very  beautiful, 
attracted  the  attention  of  those  about ;  and  we  saw 
ourselves  surrounded  by  a  dozen  or  two  of  good  peo 
ple,  who  were  admiring  it.  One,  whom  we  afterwards 
found  to  be  a  blacksmith,  seemed  more  particular  in 
his  examinations  than  the  rest,  and  soon  found  that 
we  had  occasion  for  him  in  the  line  of  his  profession. 
There  were  two  nuts  wanting  to  the  screws,  which  he 
said  he  would  furnish.  Upon  asking  him  if  he  had 
them  made,  so  that  we  might  have  them  at  once,  he 
answered,  that,  if  twenty  thousand  were  wanted,  he 
could  furnish  them  in  five  minutes.  Sterne's  bucket 
of  water  and  the  ocean  struck  me.  It  was  in  point ; 
and  I  placed  it  to  the  same  account  he  did,  —  that  the 
French  language  is  copious,  and  expresses  more  than 
it  means  or  intends.  The  little  claims  once  settled, 
we  took  our  leave  of  the  blacksmith  and  his  com 
patriots,  and  in  an  hour  reached  Senlis,  which  is  a 
town  of  some  considerable  extent,  and  is  surrounded 
with  a  wall.  It  contains  about  three  thousand  five 
hundred  inhabitants,  is  tolerably  well  built,  and  has 
the  appearance  of  having  been  a  place  of  considerable 
consequence.  There  are  many  very  handsome  houses 
here,  and  two  churches.  In  passing  this  town,  we 
observed  a  great  number  of  regular  soldiers,  who  have 
strong  marks  of  having  seen  service,  and  were  as 
good-looking  fellows  as  I  ever  saw.  Our  passports 
were  looked  at  here ;  and,  after  a  few  minutes'  deten 
tion,  we  took  our  leave  of  this  place,  and  were  de- 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS.  119 

lighted  with  its  environs,  which  are  charmingly  laid 
out,  and  surrounded  with  the  most  delightful  avenues 
of  trees  I  have  yet  seen  in  France.  The  ruins  of  a 
church,  perhaps  once  famous,  stand  in  the  neighbor 
hood,  and  mark  the  age  of  the  city.  .  .  .  We  arrived 
at  Gournay  at  midnight. 

"  The  centre  of  the  road  is  paved  wide  enough  to 
admit  of  two  carriages  abreast,  and  the  sides  kept  in 
pretty  good  order. 

"  The  beauty  of  the  country  we  have  this  day 
passed  through  may  be  equalled,  but  cannot  be  ex 
celled,  by  any  in  the  world.  Almost  every  inch  of 
ground  is  under  cultivation,  and  promises  a  good 
crop.  The  rows  of  trees  which  adorn  the  roads  on 
each  side  add  very  much  to  the  beauty  of  the  country, 
and,  at  the  same  time,  would,  upon  an  emergency, 
supply  a  vast  quantity  of  timber.  They  are  princi 
pally  elms,  and  have  a  majestic  appearance.  At  the 
post-houses  the  masters  seem  much  dissatisfied,  and 
barely  give  one  a  civil  answer  when  horses  are  asked 
for.  They  have  reason  for  being  out  of  humor,  as  the 
rate  which  the  law  gives  them  is  not  more  than  a 
fourth  of  what  they  used  to  get  at  the  present  ex 
change. 

"  In  riding  through  some  of  the  villages,  we  were 
followed  by  numbers  of  children,  who  threw  bouquets 
into  the  carriage-window,  and  trusted  to  those  within 
for  something  in  return.  Nineteen  and  a  half  leagues. 

"  12th.  —  At  six  o'clock  this  morning  we  set  off, 
and  in  an  hour  arrived  at  Cuvilly,  and  from  there  to 
Couchy  les  Pots  in  another.  The  part  of  the  road  we 


120  MEMOIR   OF 

have  been  travelling  this  morning  is,  in  appearance, 
more  like  America  than  any  other  I  have  seen  in 
France.  There  are  a  great  many  apple-trees,  and 
more  pasture-ground  than  I  have  observed  anywhere 
else.  The  only  thing  wanting  to  complete  the  simi 
larity  is  fences ;  of  which  there  are  none  in  this  coun 
try.  Indeed,  they  are  not  here  necessary  as  with  us. 
We  turn  our  cattle  and  sheep  into  a  field  to  feed ;  and 
here,  a  shepherd  follows  the  flock  and  directs  the  spot 
for  it.  Nothing  is  more  entertaining  than  to  see  the 
surprising  manner  in  which  the  shepherds'  dogs  are 
trained  in  France.  They  are  making  constant  circles 
round  the  flock;  and,  if  one  trespasses  the  bounds 
ordered,  the  dog  will  walk  up  and  take  him  by  the 
foot;  and  in  this  way  they  are  all  kept  in  a  small 
compass.  The  life  of  the  shepherd,  so  much  sung  of, 
must  be  a  very  idle  and  vacant  one,  with  nothing  to 
do  but  see  that  the  dogs,  which  are  the  attendants,  do 
their  duty,  —  nothing  to  exert  themselves  about.  But 
this  must  be  irksome  and  disagreeable. 

"  From  Couchy  les  Pots  we  were  in  Roye,  a  small 
walled  city  three  leagues  from  thence,  in  an  hour  and 
a  half.  The  walls  of  this  place  are  out  of  repair, 
and  general  decay  seems  to  hang  upon  it.  It  con 
tains,  however,  an  excellent  tavern,  called  the  '  Soleil 
d'Or,'  which  afforded  a  fine  breakfast;  and  we  took 
leave  of  it,  well  satisfied  with  our  fare.  It  contains 
about  three  thousand  people.  There  are  no  manufac 
tories  here.  From  this  place  we  were  well  driven 
to  Fouches,  which  is  a  village  where  there  is  an 
immense  post-house  and  stables,  —  its  proprietor  a 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS. 

ci-devant  lord,  who  has  been  fortunate  enough  to  save 
his  head  and  his  property.  When  we  arrived  at 
Marche  le  Pot,  the  postmaster  made  such  bitter  com 
plaints,  that  we  were  induced  to  give  him  double  fare ; 
and  came  off,  I  dare  say,  in  his  opinion,  dupes  and 
green  ones.  The  fortified  city  of  Peronne  is  three 
leagues  from  Marche  le  Pot.  This  place  is  very  well 
fortified,  but  in  an  ancient  style.  Its  entry  is  through 
three  gates,  one  within  the  other  some  distance,  with 
a  ditch,  wall,  &c.,  between  each,  until  you  come  to 
the  wall  which  surrounds  the  city.  .  .  .  After  many 
manoeuvres  with  the  postmaster  and  aubergiste,  who 
had  joined  their  plans  to  oblige  us  to  tarry  all  night 
here,  seeing  us  persist,  they  gave  us  horses ;  and  we 
left  Peronne  for  Fins,  which  is  four  leagues,  and  is 
only  a  post  establishment.  We  here  got  horses  with 
out  much  delay,  and  had  every  reason  to  suppose  we 
should  get  to  Cambrai  before  the  gates  were  shut. 
Had  we  found  the  people  disposed  to  forward  our 
wishes  at  Bonaves,  three  leagues  from  Fins,  we  should 
have  got  there  with  all  possible  ease;  but  the  fact 
was  otherwise.  We  soon  saw  they  were  determined 
to  keep  us  all  night ;  and  as  no  reasoning  will  ever 
change  the  menee  of  a  French  postmaster,  backed  by 
inclination  to  get  you  to  tarry  any  time  to  spend 
money  in  his  house,  which  is  generally  the  case  where 
the  postmaster  and  publican  unite  in  the  same  per 
son,  we  put  the  best  grace  we  could  on  the  thing,  and 
are  making  the  necessary  arrangements  for  passing 
the  night  here.  The  accommodation  is  bad ;  and,  had 
we  not  been  fortunate  enough  to  have  taken  some- 

16 


MEMOIR    OF 


thing  with  us  from  Roye,  we  should  have  heen  supper- 
less.  The  pavement  on  a  part  of  the  road  between 
this  and  the  last  post  is  taken  up.  We  suppose  this 
was  done  to  prevent  the  passing  of  the  cannon  of  the 
Austrian  army  on  to  Peronne,  in  case  Cambrai  were 
taken.  This  makes  the  travelling  very  unpleasant, 
and  in  some  places  even  dangerous. 

"  All  the  houses  of  the  farmers,  for  thirty  or  forty 
leagues  back,  are  covered  with  straw,  very  neatly  laid 
on,  and  of  a  thickness  to  oppose  either  water  or  cold, 
—  it  being  seldom  less  than  eighteen  inches  thick  ; 
and  in  some  places  the  sides  as  well  as  the  top  of  the 
house  are  covered  in  a  way  which  has,  when  it  is 
new,  a  very  neat  and  handsome  appearance.  The 
farther  we  proceed  from  Paris,  the  less  esteem  assig- 
nats  are  held  in,  and  more  is  demanded  for  every  thing 
which  is  had. 

"  13th.  —  At  eight  o'clock,  we  arrived  at  Cambrai, 
which  is  a  fortified  town,  and  I  believe  has  always 
had  a  small  garrison.  Its  walls  are  very  high,  and 
the  ditches  which  surround  it  deep  and  wide.  The 
porte  at  which  we  enter  has  a  formidable  appearance  ; 
and  the  thickness  of  the  wall  I  should  suppose  at 
least  seventy  feet.  We  took  a  stroll  round  the  town, 
which  has  a  walk  quite  round,  and  shows  remarkable 
strength.  The  appearance  of  Cambrai  is  less  dis 
gusting  than  the  towns  in  general  through  which  we 
have  passed,  and  the  streets  are  commodiously  wide  ; 
and,  in  general,  the  town  is  better  laid  out  than  those 
through  which  I  have  passed.  The  town  and  its 
environs  bear  strong  marks  of  its  having  been  the 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  123 

seat  of  warfare.  The  houses  are  in  some  streets 
entirely  shut  up ;  and  in  no  part  of  the  town  is  there 
any  appearance  of  business.  This  place,  which  was  the 
famous  manufactory  of  cambrics  (from  the  name  of  the 
town),  has  not  now  any  thing  of  this  kind  going  on. 
The  people  appear  entirely  unoccupied,  and  seem  not 
very  well  content  with  the  continuation  of  a  war 
which  is  so  injurious  as  this  must  be  to  manufac 
turing  cities.  The  cathedrals  and  some  other  public 
buildings  are  very  large,  and  built  in  a  Gothic  style. 
This  place  was  the  residence  of  the  Archbishop  of 
Cambrai,  and  was  overrun  with  monks  and  other 
dependants  upon  the  church.  We  are  told  this  single 
place  contained  eight  hundred  priests  before  the  revo 
lution.  What  a  tax  upon  the  industrious  citizens! 
We  were  shown  a  great  many  buildings  which  were 
occupied  by  this  class  of  people ;  and  which  authorized 
the  belief,  that  there  were  as  many  of  this  sort  of 
gentry  as  we  had  been  told.  This  place,  as  well  as 
almost  every  other  one  of  consequence  in  the  Re 
public,  has  been  the  scene  of  the  butcheries  of  the 
Jacobins  and  their  emissaries.  The  infamous  Lebon 
had  about  two  hundred  persons  sent  to  the  Revolu 
tionary  Tribunal ;  which  was  only  a  stage  towards  the 
guillotine,  as  they  never  failed  to  go  from  thence  to 
this  fatal  machine.  Riches  were  cause  enough  for 
accusing  one  of  being  an  aristocrat :  as  such  he  fell, 
and  his  property  was  pillaged  by  those  who  had  caused 
his  downfall.  There  is  one  street,  the  best  built  in 
this  place,  which  has  not  now  one  of  its  former 
owners  in  it :  they  have  fallen  a  sacrifice  to  this  vile 


124  MEMOIR    OF 

assassin  of  the  human  race.  At  Arras,  about  four 
leagues  from  hence,  he  caused  six  hundred  to  fall,  and, 
in  some  instances,  in  a  manner  too  horrible  to  relate. 
.  .  .  The  guillotine  which  was  erected  on  the  place,  in 
front  of  the  Maison  de  Ville,  was  publicly  burned  some 
time  since.  In  walking  round  the  ramparts  of  the 
city,  we  find  the  walls  going  to  decay,  and  the  works 
generally  rather  out  of  order. 

"  We  wished  to  have  got  an  opportunity  to  go  into 
the  Citadel;  but  find  that  no  strangers,  nor  indeed  even 
the  inhabitants,  are  permitted  to  enter  there.  It  is 
said  to  be  very  strong,  and  capable  of  a  good  defence. 
It  is  situated  upon  the  highest  ground  in  the  city ;  and 
commands  the  neighboring  grounds,  which  are  level 
for  some  way  round.  The  only  commanding  ground 
within  a  mile  is  upon  the  road  we  came.  The  posses 
sion  of  this  would  be  fatal  to  Cambrai,  were  it  besieged. 
It  must  have  fallen,  had  a  heavy  artillery  been  placed 
there.  At  the  time  of  the  siege  of  Valenciennes  by 
the  Duke  of  York  and  the  Austrian  armies,  the  avant- 
gardes  were  frequently  within  a  short  distance  of  the 
gates  of  the  city,  and  burned  the  houses  in  the  fau 
bourg  which  is  towards  that  place.  They  never,  how 
ever,  sat  down  before  Cambrai  to  besiege  it.  I  should 
suppose  that  this  place  contained,  before  the  revolution, 
from  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  souls.  At  present,  I 
am  told,  there  are  not  half  that  number. 

"  Upon  returning  to  the  tavern,  to  make  the  neces 
sary  arrangements  for  getting  our  horses  to  go  on,  we 
found,  to  our  mortification,  that  the  support  of  one  of 
the  springs  of  our  handsome  carriage  was  broken;  and, 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 


125 


lest  we  should  be  detained  where  we  should  find  less 
facility  for  getting  it  mended,  we  concluded,  after 
holding  a  council  on  the  business,  to  have  it  repaired 
here.  We  shall  therefore  be  detained  a  couple  of 
hours  longer  than  we  intended ;  and,  as  the  weather 
is  not  very  pleasant,  we  do  not  much  relish  the 
necessity. 

"  At  two  o'clock,  we  left  Cambrai  for  Bouchain. 
We  find  many  houses  on  the  route  razed  to  the  ground, 
and  the  country,  generally  speaking,  wearing  strong 
marks  of  the  devastation  attendant  on  war.  The 
roads  are  cut  up,  and  are  unpleasant  to  travel.  From 
Cambrai  to  Bouchain  is  four  leagues.  We  arrived 
here  at  about  four  o'clock.  This  is  a  very  small 
place,  but  strongly  fortified,  and  is  capable  of  holding 
a  long  siege.  A  branch  of  the  Scheld  washes  the 
walls  of  Bouchain,  and  makes  it  still  stronger  than  it 
is  from  its  walls ;  which  are  strong  in  themselves,  and 
well  mounted  with  cannon.  We  here  found  a  diffi 
culty  to  get  horses ;  and  we  had  every  reason  to  fear 
we  should  be  obliged  to  remain  in  this  place,  which  is 
one  of  the  dirtiest  I  have  yet  seen  in  France.  The 
fear  of  being  detained  in  a  most  infamous  tavern  de 
termined  us  to  get  horses,  if  we  gave  a  guinea  apiece 
for  them,  to  carry  us  to  Valenciennes.  Our  necessities 
were  taken  advantage  of,  and  we  were  obliged  to  pay 
eight  times  the  common  postage ;  and,  in  addition  to 
this,  ran  the  most  imminent  danger  of  being  upset, 
and  our  carriage  broken,  by  the  maladroitness  of  the 
man  who  acted  as  postilion.  There  is  a  considerable 
force  kept  in  all  the  frontier  fortified  towns.  We  are 


126  MEMOIR    OF 

now  in  the  Low  Countries,  or  what  are  called  Les 
Pays  Bas  Fra^ois,  which  we  entered  two  posts  before 
our  arrival  at  Cambrai.  The  allied  armies  sent  their 
scouting  parties  over  all  this  part  of  the  country,  and 
to  the  walls  of  Bouchain ;  but  they  never  sat  down  to 
besiege  it.  The  houses  on  the  road  are  in  heaps  of 
ruins  from  Bouchain  to  Valenciennes,  and  particularly 
as  you  approach  this  last  place,  at  which  we  arrived 
at  seven  o'clock  in  the  evening,  very  much  satisfied 
with  having  a  whole  carriage ;  as,  from  the  manner  in 
which  the  fellow  behaved,  we  had  but  little  hopes  of 
reaching  here. 

"  The  houses,  in  general,  are  built  of  brick  in  this 
part  of  the  country,  and  covered,  as  we  have  found 
them  for  a  long  time  back,  with  straw.  The  country 
we  are  now  in  is  more  level  than  that  which  we  have 
passed  through.  We  find,  by  the  language  of  the 
postmistress,  that  only  specie  will  get  us  farther  on  ; 
and  we  therefore  expect  to  be  pretty  well  fleeced,  as 
they  have  been  in  the  habit  of  receiving  large  nominal 
prices,  and  are  not  apt  to  calculate  with  nicety  the 
difference  between  paper  and  silver.  After  a  very 
indifferent  supper  at  a  table  d'hote,  we  went  to  bed  ; 
and  were  in  very  good  humor,  or  we  should  have 
scolded  at  the  woman  for  giving  us  such  infamous 
accommodations. 

"  14th.  —  As  soon  as  we  had  breakfasted,  which  we 
did  very  heartily  and  upon  excellent  fare,  we  requested 
one  of  the  postilions  to  procure  some  one  to  conduct 
us  round  the  town  of  Valenciennes,  —  an  object  I 
have  been  long  desirous  of  seeing.  He  soon  returned, 


THOMAS   HANDASYD   PERKINS.  127 

bringing  his  daughter,  —  a  girl  of  about  fifteen  years 
of  age.  She  was  very  intelligent,  and  gave  ready  and 
satisfactory  answers  to  all  we  asked  her.  She  had 
been  in  the  city  during  the  siege.  The  strength  of 
this  place,  to  one  who  has  seen  so  little  of  fortifica 
tions  as  myself,  is  inconceivable.  The  ditch,  which  is 
in  one  part  filled  with  water,  is  at  least  one  hundred 
and  twenty  feet  wide ;  and  the  walls  all  round  as  much 
as  eighty  feet,  built  of  brick,  and  of  a  thickness  which 
one  would  suppose  could  withstand  any  thing  in 
nature.  We  were  not  permitted  to  go  into  the  Cita 
del,  which  is  on  the  side  of  the  Gate  de  Cambrai,  and 
opposite  to  that  on  which  it  was  attacked  by  the  allied 
armies.  As  the  ground  is  higher  without  the  Gate  of 
Cambrai  and  opposite  to  the  Citadel  than  anywhere  else 
round  the  city,  the  armies  which  attacked  it  made  an 
attempt  on  that  quarter;  but  the  heavy  metal  from 
the  Citadel  dismounted  their  cannon,  and  obliged  them 
to  attack  towards  the  Gate  of  Mons ;  to  which  point 
they  brought  the  most  vigorous  exertions.  After  a 
continual  cannonade  for  forty-five  days,  and  a  bom 
bardment  which  exceeded  any  thing  that  had  taken 
place  before,  the  city  capitulated.  There  were  three 
mines  sprung  under  the  works ;  after  the  last  of 
which,  the  general  who  commanded  the  city,  whose 
name  is  Ferrand,  capitulated.  A  breach  was  effected 
in  the  walls ;  and,  indeed,  a  great  range  of  the  wall 
was  entirely  battered  down.  The  melancholy  destruc 
tion  which  is  exhibited  in  this  city  is  beyond  de 
scription.  Whole  streets  are  laid  level  with  the  dust ; 
and  all  the  quarter  of  the  town  towards  Mons  is  but 
one  great  heap  of  ashes  and  ruins. 


128  MEMOIR    OF 

"  There  were  ten  thousand  men  capable  of  bearing 
arms  in  the  garrison  when  the  siege  began ;  and,  at 
the  end  of  the  forty-five  days,  more  than  one-half  had 
fallen  a  sacrifice.  The  army  of  the  allies  was  one 
hundred  and  six  thousand  men,  commanded  by  the 
most  able  generals  in  the  service  to  which  they  be 
longed.  This  sacrifice  of  men  and  property  was 
made  to  get  possession  of  a  place  "they  held  about 
nine  months ;  and  then,  in  their  turn,  they  laid  their 
arms  down  to  Gen.  Dampierre,  who  bravely  fell  near 
this  city,  and  who  is  buried  on  the  heights  of  Fremas, 
where  there  is  a  monument  erected  to  his  memory. 
Great  numbers  of  people  were  buried  under  the  ruins 
of  the  houses  of  Valenciennes.  The  house  of  the 
general  who  defended  the  city  was  pointed  out  to  us  ; 
and  we  counted  upwards  of  sixty  cannon-shot  through 
its  walls.  The  roof  was  destroyed  by  bombs  ;  and  it 
has  but  the  walls  now  standing.  Hard  by  it  is  an 
immense  heap  of  ruins,— the  remains  of  a  very  large 
church,  which  has  not  one  stone  left  upon  another. 
We  entered  the  court  of  a  large  house  where  there 
had  been  great  destruction,  and  were  told  by  a  man, 
who,  with  his  family,  was  in  the  cellar  during  the 
whole  siege,  that  upwards  of  one  hundred  bombs 
had  fallen  within  the  court-yard ;  and  its  appearance 
warranted  the  belief  of  the  assertion.  The  rubbish 
is  very  much  cleared  up  now ;  and  a  great  number  of 
the  houses  which  were  unroofed  are  now  slated  and 
fitted  up.  Every  part  of  the  town  is  strongly  marked, 
particularly  the  steeples  of  the  public  buildings.  A 
great  proportion  of  the  inhabitants  of  the  city  lodged 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 

in  their  cellars,  which  are  always  arched  and  strongly 
built  in  fortified  towns.  The  walls  of  the  city  quite 
round  are  astonishingly  battered ;  and  in  many  places 
breaches  were  begun,  which  are  now  repaired.  The 
life  which  the  people  in  this  city  must  have  led  during 
the  siege  is  inconceivable.  There  is  but  little  appear 
ance  of  business  at  this  place.  It  was  once  famous 
for  its  cambrics  and  laces ;  and,  indeed,  there  are  some 
small  manufactories  yet  at  work,  but  they  are  incon 
siderable.  The  cambrics  were  not  manufactured  in 
the  cities  which  have  the  reputation  of  them ;  but  were 
woven  in  the  houses  of  the  peasants,  and  brought  to 
Valenciennes  to  be  bleached  and  dressed.  The  lace 
of  this  place  was  more  esteemed  than  that  of  Brussels. 
There  were,  before  the  revolution,  between  thirty  and 
forty  thousand  inhabitants  at  this  place ;  but  they  are 
now  reduced  to  an  inconsiderable  number,  and  have 
little  or  nothing  to  do.  The  number  of  beggars  in 
every  town  through  which  you  pass  is  great ;  but  here 
they  exceed  any  thing  we  have  before  seen ;  and  it  was 
with  difficulty  we  could  get  through  them  to  our  car 
riage.  It  is  shameful  to  see  the  manner  in  which  the 
churches  have  been  demolished  here,  and  the  uses  to 
which  they  are  put.  The  Cathedral,  which  is  a  most 
superb  and  magnificent  building,  serves  now  as  a  barn, 
and  is  filled  with  hay.  It  was  appropriated  to  the 
reception  of  horses  some  time  since ;  and  the  marble 
with  which  it  is  paved  is  broken  to  pieces  and  de 
stroyed.  The  sculpture,  which  is  in  white  marble, 
and  executed  in  a  superior  style,  is  broken  to  pieces, 
and  the  arms  and  heads  of  the  figures  are  severed. 

17 


130  MEMOIR    OF 

In  another  case,  we  saw  caps,  tents,  and  other  articles 
for  the  array ;  and  teams  had  driven  into  the  body  of 
the  church,  and  were  loading.  There  is  but  a  small 
garrison  kept  here.  We  were  upon  the  ramparts  of 
the  fortifications ;  but,  as  we  got  there  by  stealth,  we 
did  not  remain  long.  The  immense  ditch  which  sur 
rounds  the  town  was  in  one  place  filled  up  by  the 
allied  armies,  so  that  it  was  passable  ;  and  an  assault 
was  to  have  been  made,  if  the  city  had  not  surren 
dered.  At  twelve  o'clock,  we  left  Valenciennes,  which 
is  the  last  fortified  town  in  French  Flanders,  and  within 
two  leagues  of  Austrian  Flanders.  Before  we  got  to 
the  post,  we  were  stopped,  to  be  searched  by  the  last 
custom-house  of  the  French,  and,  a  little  farther  on, 
at  the  first  of  the  conquered  country. 

"  The  officer  proposed  searching  our  baggage ;  but 
a  few  livres  quieted  his  conscience,  and  he  let  us  pass. 
You  hardly  pass  the  line  which  divides  French  and 
Austrian  Flanders  before  you  see  a  difference  in  the 
appearance  of  the  people.  The  contrast  between  the 
post-house  where  we  next  changed  our  horses  and 
those  in  France  is  as  different  as  can  be  conceived. 
Every  thing  had  Dutch  neatness  about  it,  and  had  the 
appearance  of  cleanliness,  — ••  which,  thus  far,  we  have 
been  little  accustomed  to.  The  countenances  and 
dress,  too,  are  entirely  changed  ;  and,  instead  of 
houses  level  with  the  ground,  we  now  see  them  en 
tered  by  an  ascent  of  a  couple  of  steps,  and  less 
lumbered  about  the  doors  with  every  thing  which  is 
uncleanly.  The  old  pro verlv  that  '  money  makes  the 
mare  go,'  was  never  more  verified  than  with  us.  In 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  131 

coming  through  the  Republic,  we  have  paid  with 
nothing  but  paper  at  the  post-houses,  and  have  been 
received  by  the  masters  of  them  with  great  indif 
ference.  We  now  pay  with  specie ;  and  the  moment 
this  is  known  where  we  descend,  you  are  scarcely  out 
of  your  carriage  before  you  have  your  horses  put  to  ; 
and  they  set  off  a  grand  galop,  as  if  the  De'il  himself 
was  at  their  heels.  Our  second  post  was  Quaregnon, 
two  leagues  from  Mons ;  at  which  place  we  arrived  at 
about  four  o'clock  in  the  afternoon.  The  country,  in 
approaching  Mons,  is  very  beautiful ;  and  the  arrange 
ment  of  trees  on  each  side  of  the  way  makes  the  roads 
delightful.  We  now  see  what  we  have  not  before 
since  we  left  Paris  ;  that  is,  delightful  meadows, 
in  which  are  cattle  grazing,  interspersed  with  trees, 
that  give  an  appearance  of  luxury  not  to  be  ex 
celled. 

"There  is  much  more  wood  in  this  part  of  the 
country  than  is  found  in  France  ;  and  as  the  trees  are 
all  taken  the  greatest  care  of,  and  all  the  under-brush 
is  taken  out,  they  have  a  very  beautiful  appearance. 
There  are,  in  some  places  in  French  Flanders,  ditches, 
to  partition  oif  the  meadows  from  the  tilled  grounds 
where  the  cattle  range ;  but  this  is  very  seldom  the 
case ;  and  you  generally  see  a  boy  strolling  about, 
wherever  you  see  a  cow  feeding,  who  keeps  her  from 
trespassing  upon  sown  ground.  The  sheep,  too,  are 
always  attended  by  a  shepherd,  and  a  couple  of  dogs 
who  keep  them  feeding  where  the  shepherd  wishes. 
The  sagacity  of  these  animals  is  astonishing,  and 
deserves  admiration.  This  country  is  so  perfectly 


132  MEMOIR    OF 

level  that  you  can  see  to  a  great  extent;    and,  all 
around,  majestic   steeples   enliven    the    already  rich 
scene.      I   have   counted   eight   steeples   at   a   time, 
when  riding   upon  a  perfect   level,  and   taking  but 
half  the  circle  of  the  horizon.     Were  one  to  travel 
through  this   country,  or,  indeed,  through  any  part 
of  France  that  I  have  yet  been  in,  and  judge  of  the 
population  by  the  number  of  houses  which  are  seen 
interspersed   amongst   the   fields,  he  would  be  very 
much  deceived,  and  suppose  it  nearly  desolated,  and 
with  but  very  few  inhabitants.     The  fact  is,  the  cul 
tivators  of  the  soil   are   not  owners  of  it,  but  are 
collected   together,  every  few  miles,  in   a   miserable 
village,  in  the  neighborhood  of  which  lives  the  lord 
of  the  village,  who  has  them  all  at  his  command,  and 
holds  them  as  his  vassals.     I  should  rather  say  this 
was  the  fact,  than  that  it  is.     It  all  holds  good,  how 
ever,  except  as  it  respects  the  lord  of  the  manor,  who 
is  in  the  background.     But  the  cultivators  are  not  the 
more  masters  of  the  soil:   they  have   but  made  an 
exchange  of  masters.     On  our  arrival  at   Mons,  we 
found  the  streets  full  of  people,  who  had  just  come 
from  Mass ;  and  numbers  of  priests  in  the  streets,  in 
their  usual  habiliments.     If  we  had  reason  to  com 
plain  of  beggars  at  the  other  places  which  we  have 
passed  through,  what   shall  we  say  of  Mons,  where 
we  were  beset  in  a  most  disgraceful  manner?     We 
effected  our  escape  into  the  house,  where  we  intended 
dining ;  but  our  faithful  attendants  waited  for  us  at 
the  door,  to  give  us  a  fresh  assault  as  we  made  a  new 
attempt  to  get  to  our  carriage.     The  dinner  more 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  133 

than  indifferent ;  and  the  price  demanded,  extravagant. 
We  saw  here  a  number  of  poor  devils  of  Prussians 
and  Germans,  who  had  been  liberated  by  treaty  with 
the  King  of  Prussia,  and  an  exchange  of  prisoners 
with  the  Emperor.     They  were  mostly  miserable-look 
ing  objects,  —  meagre,  ill-clad,  and  sickly.     Mons  is 
in  the   situation  of  all   the  once  fortified  towns  in 
Austrian  Flanders ;  that  is  to  say,  defenceless.     Their 
fortifications  were  destroyed  by  Joseph  II.,  who  feared 
his  impositions  would  be  looked  upon  as  they  merited, 
and   therefore   destroyed,  all   the  works ;   which  has 
proved  of  infinite  service  to  the  French,  who,  without 
this  facility,  would  have  found  much  more  difficulty 
in  conquering  Austrian    Flanders.      Its   situation  is 
more  elevated  than  the  towns  we  have  passed  in  the 
Low  Countries ;    and  it  might  be  made  strong  from 
the  advantage  of  a  river,  which  I  presume  is  a  part  of 
the  Scheld,  and  circulates  round  the  city.     The  gates 
of  the  city  are  preserved,  and  the  ramparts  are  con 
verted  into  public  walks.     It  is  a  considerable  place ; 
and  must  contain  twelve  or  fifteen  thousand  inhabi 
tants,  from  its  size.     The  country  between  Mons  and 
Bruxelles  is  the  highest  wrought  scene  we  have  yet 
observed.     Where  the  country  from  nature  is  unfa 
vorable  to  roads,  art  has  made  up  the  deficiency ;  and 
causeways  are  carried  ten  or  fifteen  feet  above  the 
ground,  for  accommodation.     The  post  from  Mons  is 
to  Casteau,  and  from  there  to  Braine  le  Compte.     We 
were  served  at  both  those  villages  with  despatch,  and 
went  on  to  Halle  with  great  speed.     A  new  kind  of 
begging  is  introduced  on  this  road.      The  moment 


134  MEMOIR    OF 

carriages  appear  at  a  distance,  the  road  is  lined  with 
children,  who  chant  their  demands  upon  you  for 
charity,  and  keep  upon  a  trot  alongside  the  carriage 
until  you  give  them  something.  Halle  is  a  very  large 
village,  and  has  a  considerable  garrison  in  it.  The 
first  question  upon  our  arrival  at  the  post  was,  '  Do 
they  pay  in  square  or  round?'  The  moment  the 
latter  was  announced,  the  horses  appeared ;  and  two 
hours  put  us  safe  at  the  Hotel  d'Angleterre,  in  the 
celebrated  city  of  Bruxelles. 

"  15th.  —  After  we  had  taken  breakfast,  we  took  a 
guide  to  show  us  the  city.  And,  that  we  might  have 
the  better  idea  of  it,  our  first  route  was  for  the  Cathe 
dral,  where  we  mounted  to  the  top  of  the  steeple,  and 
were  able  to  see  every  part  of  the  city  with  great 
exactness.  It  is  nearly  circular,  and  I  should  suppose 
about  four  or  five  miles  in  circumference.  The 
grounds  about  it  are  as  charming  as  can  be  con 
ceived  of;  to  which  the  delightful  ranges  of  trees, 
which  appear  in  every  quarter,  are  no  small  addi 
tion.  In  many  places,  on  the  road  from  Mons,  the 
tops  of  the  trees  meet,  and  you  ride  for  miles  in  a 
perfect  arbor. 

"  In  going  to  the  Pare,  we  saw  a  small  body  of 
troops  parade,  who  looked  more  shabby  than  they 
ought.  Gen.  Ferrand  was  on  the  parade.  He  is  a 
good-looking  man,  and  one  I  respect  for  his  brave 
defence  of  Valenciennes.  .  .  .  'Tis  melancholy  to  see 
so  fine  a  city  as  this  so  trist  as  it  in  fact  is.  A  vast 
number  of  the  houses  are  shut  up,  and  the  streets 
appear  dead  to  business.  At  this  place  was  manufac- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  135 

tured  the  famous  lace  bearing  the  name  of  the  city. 
They  still  keep  this  going  on  in  a  small  degree.  I  saw 
a  number  of  women,  in  the  different  shops  I  passed, 
at  work  with  their  bobbins  upon  lace.  .  .  .  That  neat 
ness  for  which  the  Dutch  are  so  famous  is  striking  in 
this  city,  and  appears  to  us  in  higher  and  more  esti 
mable  colors  from  the  contrast  with  what  we  have 
lately  been  so  accustomed  to.  The  prejudices  of  the 
people  are  much  against  the  French  quite  through 
the  Austrian  Flanders ;  and  they  have  been  greatly 
augmented  by  the  violations  of  what  they  call  sacred 
things,  —  the  pictures  and  ornaments  in  the  churches. 

"  16th.  —  The  Emperor  used  frequently  to  visit 
Bruxelles,  which  is  the  capital  of  Austrian  Flanders ; 
and  he  had,  therefore,  a  beautiful  palace  just  without 
the  town,  near  which  is  a  tall  pagoda,  that  has  a 
magnificent  appearance. 

"  Nothing  can  equal  the  ride  from  Bruxelles  to 
Malines,  which  is  half  way  to  Antwerp.  A  consider 
able  part  of  the  way,  you  ride  on  the  margin  of  the 
canal,  which  is  ornamented  with  stately  trees  on  both 
sides  ;  and  the  country,  which  is  as  level  as  the  sur 
face  of  an  untroubled  ocean,  is  under  the  most  luxu 
rious  cultivation,  principally  in  meadow,  and  filled 
with  cattle. 

"  We  were  off  for  Antwerp  at  ten  o'clock ;  and  at 
one  we  were  set  down  at  the  grand  Hotel,  which  is 
said  to  be  the  best  tavern  in  the  place.  The  popula 
tion  is  certainly  much  greater  in  Austrian  Flanders 
than  in  any  part  of  France  I  have  passed  through.  In 
France,  the  inhabitants  are  collected  in  villages,  which 


136  MEMOIR    OF 

are  three  or  four  miles  distant  from  each  other.  In 
Austrian  Flanders,  in  addition  to  those  villages,  which 
are  quite  as  frequent  and  populous  as  those  in  France, 
you  see  the  scene  highly  improved,  by  houses  being 
interspersed  amongst  the  fields,  at  small  distances, 
quite  through  the  country.  The  villages  are  all  nicely 
paved;  and  the  pavement  looks  as  if  it  had  been  washed 
every  morning.  The  mode  of  cultivation  is  as  neat, 
and  as  much  to  be  admired,  as  their  domestic  arrange 
ments.  The  women,  both  in  France  and  Flanders,  do 
their  share  towards  the  cultivation  of  the  soil.  In 
some  places,  we  observed  the  women  cutting  the  fields 
of  grass  with  a  crooked  knife.  They  kneel  on  the 
ground,  and  seize  a  bunch  of  grass  with  one  hand, 
which,  with  the  knife  that  they  hold  in  the  other, 
they  cut  off  close  to  the  roots.  There  is  some  saving 
by  it,  but  I  should  not  suppose  enough  to  pay  for  the 
labor. 

f|  "The  population  of  America  must  be  very  much 
increased  before  we  can  have  our  grounds  in  such 
order  as  here.  Not  a  stone  is  to  be  seen :  they  have 
all  been  picked  up,  centuries  since,  and  buried  some 
feet  below  the  surface  of  the  earth.  After  the  plough 
has  been  used,  they  go  over  the  field  with  forks 
with  five  prongs;  with  which  they  dig  the  already 
ploughed  ground,  break  every  lump  of  earth,  and  lay 
it  in  beds  the  whole  length  of  the  field,  and  about  ten 
or  twelve  feet  wide.  The  bed  is  rounded  off,  which 
throws  the  water  into  a  trench  which  is  left  between 
the  beds,  of  three  or  four  inches  in  width;  This  gives 
the  fields  a  more  beautiful  appearance  than  if  they 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  137 

were  perfectly  level.  I  also  observed  that  there  were 
constantly  women  and  children  at  work  in  the  fields, 
picking  the  weeds  from  among  the  wheat,  which  was 
about  ten  or  twelve  inches  out  of  the  ground.  This 
is  a  great  improvement;  but  it  can  only  be  done 
where  the  population  has  become  very  great,  and  can 
not,  of  course,  be  expected  for  a  century  among  us. 
They  put  a  great  quantity  of  manure  on  their  land ; 
and,  in  some  instances,  they  do  it  in  a  way  I  was  before 
a  stranger  to.  In  some  fields,  I  saw  them  with  a  cart, 
in  which  was  a  large  cask  filled  with  water,  that 
appeared  to  be  a  decoction  of  the  produce  of  the  barn 
yard.  This  was  placed  with  one  end  hanging  over 
the  tail  of  the  cart.  A  spigot  was  drawn,  which  had 
some  obstruction  to  prevent  the  water  from  flowing 
out  in  a  stream ;  and  it  was  scattered  quite  the  width 
of  the  cart  as  it  proceeded.  There  are  a  vast  number 
of  trees  over  the  whole  face  of  this  country,  which  are 
all  arranged  with  perfect  symmetry,  and,  I  suppose, 
mark  the  boundaries  of  the  estates. 

"As  soon  as  we  had  made  our  arrangements  for 
dinner,  we  took  a  guide,  and  went  upon  our  usual 
business  of  visiting  the  different  parts  of  the  town. 
The  first  object  was  to  see  its  extent  and  situation, 
it  being  entirely  under  our  eyes  when  we  arrived 
at  the  top  of  the  steeple  of  the  Cathedral,  which  is 
considerably  higher  than  any  other  building  that  I 
was  ever  upon.  Its  height  is  six  hundred  and  twenty- 
one  steps  from  the  ground ;  and  we  were  not  a  little 
fatigued  when  we  arrived  at  the  top ;  but  were  fully 
compensated  for  the  pains  we  had  taken,  by  the  mag- 
is 


138  MEMOIR    OF 

nificent  prospect  which  lay  before  us.  The  town  is 
considerably  smaller  than  Brussels.  It  has  a  number 
of  churches,  which,  with  the  Town  House  and  India 
stores,  are  all  the  public  buildings.  From  this  steeple, 
you  see  the  windings  of  the  Scheld  for  several  leagues 
on  each  side.  This  river,  which  has  cost  Europe  so 
many  lives,  is  about  a  quarter  of  a  mile  wide  at 
Antwerp,  and  its  water  in  the  channel  is  sixty  feet 
deep.  The  quays  are  very  convenient;  and,  at  some 
of  them,  there  are  forty  feet  of  water.  However,  —  to 
mount  again  to  the  steeple,  —  as  I  before  observed,  it 
commands  a  view  the  most  superlative  that  can  be 
imagined.  There  are  no  less  than  sixteen  cities  in 
sight;  among  which  are  Breda,  Bergen  op  Zoom, 
Malines,  and  St.  Nicholas ;  besides  which,  there  are  an 
infinity  of  villages,  which,  having  no  large  marks  to 
distinguish  them,  are  scarcely  any  of  them  distinctly 
seen.  The  country  is  perfectly  level,  and  has  not  a 
hill  or  rising  even  to  enliven  the  prospect.  We  were 
delighted  with  the  view ;  and  descended  to  the  lower 
part  of  this  immense  building,  to  admire  the  works  of 
art.  They  are  here  in  perfection  of  their  kind.  The 
town  of  Antwerp  boasts  of  having  given  birth  to 
Rubens,  Vandyck,  the  famous  blacksmith  of  Antwerp, 
and  several  others  of  the  finest  painters  who  ever 
held  a  pencil.  Many  of  their  works  remain  in  this 
church ;  but  the  most  valuable  of  them  have  met  the 
fate  of  those  at  Brussels  and  Malines.  This  was  a 
cruel  thing  to  this  town ;  for  the  circumstance  of  the 
pictures  having  been  pajnted  by  their  fellow-citizens, 
enhanced  their  value  in  the  minds  of  those  who 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  139 

possessed  them,  and  makes  the  loss  of  them  the  more 
regretted.  In  one  of  the  pieces  painted  by  the  black 
smith,  he  has  thrown  a  very  great  likeness  of  himself 
into  the  background,  which  will  make  his  face  known 
for  centuries  to  come.  The  piece  is  the  taking  of  the 
body  of  Jesus  from  the  cross.  It  is  done  in  a  master 
ly  manner,  in  my  opinion ;  though  my  fellow-travellers 
are  not  much  pleased  with  it.  There  is  the  death  of 
St.  Sebastian,  which  is  finer  than  any  I  have  seen 
before.  The  painting  on  glass  is  superior  to  that 
of  Brussels  or  Malines  ;  and  a  part  of  it  was  pre 
sented  by  one  of  the  Henrys  of  England.  The 
quantity  of  marble  pillars  and  carved  work  in  this 
cathedral  is  surprising.  This  church  is  superior  to 
the  one  at  Brussels  in  point  of  decoration,  and  is, 
I  think,  considerably  larger.  We  were  fortunate 
enough  to  be  at  this  cathedral  when  the  organist  was 
touching  the  instrument,  with  which  we  were  all 
charmed. 

"  I  am  not  surprised  at  the  enthusiasm  with  which 
people,  from  long  habit,  view  every  thing  in  their 
churches ;  and  I  confess  I  cannot  walk  through  one 
of  them  without  respecting  every  thing  about  me. 
There  is  a  constant  succession,  to  and  from  all  the 
churches  we  have  visited,  of  people,  who  are  doing 
away  the  sins  of  the  day. 

"  Antwerp,  from  its  situation,  ought  to  be  one  of 
the  most  flourishing  towns  in  Europe.  This  was  once 
the  case ;  but  now  it  wears  the  strongest  marks  of 
total  idleness.  It  is  splendid  in  its  buildings ;  and  its 
streets  are  some  of  them  very  wide,  and  all  well  paved 


140  MEMOIR    OF 

and  convenient.  It  contained,  formerly,  sixty  thou 
sand  inhabitants ;  but  it  has  not  now  more  than  forty- 
five  thousand,  and  they  have  very  little  appearance  of 
business.  Antwerp  is  at  the  head  of  navigation  on 
the  Scheld, -. —  that  is  to  say,  for  large  vessels;  and, 
situated  as  it  is  in  the  heart  of  a  country  which  is  in 
fact  but  one  great  village,  with  navigation  by  boats 
on  the  river  and  canals  for  a  considerable  way  into 
the  country,  would  be  the  storehouse  of  all  the  Low 
Countries,  had  it  the  use  of  the  advantages  which 
nature  has  given  it,  and  art  has  improved. 

"It  is  said  the  French  intend  that  the  naviga 
tion  of  the  Scheld  shall  be  free  to  all  the  world. 
How  true  this  is,  time  alone  will  determine.  It  will 
be  saying  that  Antwerp  shall  be  one  of  the  first  com 
mercial  cities  in  Europe." 

Thirty  years  afterwards,  as  appears  in  a  subsequent 
journal,  Antwerp  presented  the  appearance  of  more 
extensive  commerce,  and  great  improvement  in  accom 
modations  for  the  shipping ;  but  the  ascendency  which 
the  city  once  enjoyed  has  never  been  regained. 

"  May  17th.  —  At  five  o'clock  this  morning,  we  left 
Antwerp,  round  which  is  a  charming  country  for  a 
few  miles.  Our  anticipation  has  been  fine  roads  from 
Antwerp  to  Rotterdam ;  but  we  are  much  disap 
pointed,  as  we  had  ridden  but  four  or  five  miles  before 
we  left  the  pavement,  which  continues  from  Paris  to 
this  place.  The  country,  for  eight  leagues,  is  the 
worst  I  ever  travelled  through :  the  roads  are  sand, 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  141 

and  the  whole  face  of  the  country  the  most  barren  I 
ever  saw.  Although  we  had  four  horses,  they  went 
upon  little  more  than  a  walk  the  whole  way.  Within 
two  leagues  of  the  Mordyke,  the  scene  was  changed, 
and  Nature  looked  smiling  on  every  side.  We  here 
arrived  at  the  diked  country,  and  see  the  finest  pas 
ture  grounds  in  all  Europe,  and  the  fields  stocked 
with  cattle  without  number.  We  pass  the  Waal  at 
Mordyke,  which  is  a  ferry  about  three  miles  wide, 
well  attended,  and  the  boats  excellent.  The  roads 
are  pleasant  through  Holland,  lying  upon  the  top 
of  the  dike,  but  unfortunately  too  narrow,  leaving 
barely  room  for  two  carriages  to  pass ;  and  of  course 
making  it  very  dangerous  for  them  to  meet,  as  both 
must  approach  so  near  ,the  edge  of  the  dike  as  to 
stand  a  very  tolerable  chance,  in  case  of  any  accident, 
of  being  canted  into  the  canal,  which  is  at  the  foot  of 
the  dike. 

"  We  passed  through  a  number  of  villages ;  to  de 
scribe  the  neatness  of  which,  would  be  impossible. 
The  number  of  trees  spread  all  over  this  country 
makes  its  appearance  very  beautiful.  This  is  height 
ened  extremely  by  the  vast  herds  of  cattle  which  are 
feeding  in  the  fields.  The  horses  are  famed  in  this 
part  of  Holland,  and  deservedly  so.  At  ten  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  we  crossed  the  Meuse,  and  landed 
safely  at  Rotterdam.  We  take  our  lodgings  at  the 
Marechal  de  Turenne. 

"  18th.  —  Busily  employed  in  viewing  a  town  which 
is  beautiful  to  a  great  degree,  and  is  in  a  very  fine 
situation  for  business. 


MEMOIR    OF 


"  19th.  —  From  the  top  of  the  highest  steeple  in 
Rotterdam,  we  saw  thirty  odd  villages,  and  were  much 
pleased  with  the  prospect.  The  windmills,  of  which 
there  are  great  numbers  round  Rotterdam,  are  built 
of  stone;  and  some  of  them  I  judge  to  be  between 
seventy  and  eighty  feet  high.  Capt.  George  Lane 
tells  me  that  some  of  them  are  sawmills,  and  that  he 
was  in  one  which  carried  forty  saws  at  a  time.  They 
are  also  used  to  throw  out  the  water  from  the  canals 
into  the  rivers  when  the  former  get  too  full.  The 
canals  in  this  place  admit  vessels  to  your  store  door, 
and  make  the  doing  business  very  convenient.  The 
buildings  are  all  plain  and  good,  some  of  them  hand 
some  ;  the  India  House  and  Exchange  the  only  public 
buildings  which  are  remarkable. 

"  We  find  them  very  busy  here  ;  a  treaty  having 
just  been  signed  between  France  and  Holland,  offen 
sive  and  defensive,  and,  the  Hollanders  say,  upon 
mutual  advantages.  This  remains  to  be  proved.  I 
most  sincerely  hope  the  event  may  prove  this  to  be 
the  fact.  We  this  day  dined  with  Mr.  Buldemaker  ; 
whom  we  find  a  very  pleasing  man,  and  who  has  a 
charming  family.  On  the  morrow,  we  leave  for 
Amsterdam. 

"  20th.  —  The  day  fine,  and  promising  us  a  plea 
sant  journey.  At  half-past  ten  o'clock,  we  left  Rot 
terdam  ;  and,  at  seven  in  the  evening,  we  were  at  the 
Arms  of  Amsterdam.  The  road  from  Rotterdam  is 
generally  good  ;  though,  like  all  the  roads  I  have  yet 
seen  in  Holland,  very  much  cramped  for  width,  two 
carriages  being  scarce  able  to  pass  without  danger  of 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  143 

being  thrown  off  the  dike.  The  dikes,  in  general, 
are  adorned  with  trees ;  and  on  each  side  are  ditches, 
filled  with  water,  in  all  directions.  Almost  every  house 
has  a  boat,  which  is  used  to  transport  any  thing  they 
may  wish  from  one  place  to  another.  This  makes 
carts  quite  unnecessary  amongst  the  farmers ;  and  I  do 
not  recollect  to  have  seen  one  on  the  road.  This  part 
of  Holland  is  entirely  appropriated  to  the  feeding  of 
cattle ;  the  whole  country  being  in  meadow,  and  filled 
with  cows.  We  have  not  seen  one  field  of  grain  since 
we  left  Rotterdam.  The  back  provinces  are  entirely 
cultivated  in  grain,  which  is  brought  down ;  and  the 
cheese  of  the  Low  Countries,  and  other  productions, 
such  as  butter  and  stock,  are  taken  for  pay. 

"  There  is  nothing  in  Holland  which  looks  like 
wretchedness ;  and  you  meet  but  seldom  with  people 
who  ask  for  charity,  in  comparison  with  the  demands 
of  this  kind  made  in  France.  Their  huts  all  appear 
clean  and  comfortable;  and  those  about  them  look 
contented.  The  contrast  between  this  and  what  we 
have  left  in  the  great  Republic  is  striking. 

"  The  communication  between  the  great  mercantile 
towns  in  Holland  is  by  the  canals,  upon  which  there 
are  convenient  boats  for  passengers ;  and  there  are 
also  the  finest  boats  I  ever  saw,  for  the  transportation 
of  merchandise.  The  one  and  the  other  are  drawn  by 
horses,  which  travel  on  the  margin  of  the  river;  or 
sailed,  when  the  wind  will  admit. 

"  The  neighborhood  of  Rotterdam  and  of  this  city 
(Amsterdam)  has  many  country-seats,  the  style  of 
which  does  not  altogether  correspond  with  our  ideas 


144  MEMOIR    OF 

of  beauty.  The  gardens  are  perfection  in  neatness, 
but  too  stiff  and  labored  to  please  an  American.  The 
canals  are  filled  with  fish ;  and  fishing  and  smoking 
seem  to  be  the  chief  amusements  sought  in  this 
country. 

"  The  height  of  the  water  above  the  land,  within 
the  dikes,  is  very  considerable,  and  in  some  instances 
astonishing.  At  a  country-seat  of  Mr.  Vanstaphort's, 
about  three  miles  from  town,  the  canal,  which  is 
parallel  with  the  house,  is  forty  feet  above  the  gar 
den  ;  and,  if  the  sea  should  once  make  a  breach  in 
the  dike,  the  neighboring  country  must  suffer  exceed 
ingly.  The  canals  which  lead  up  into  the  town  are 
only  deep  enough  to  admit  of  boats  coming  up ; 
whereas,  in  Rotterdam,  vessels  of  two  hundred  tons 
come  to  the  very  doors  of  the  houses  in  the  centre  of 
the  town. 

"  There  is  a  particular  quarter  appropriated  for  the 
residence  of  Jews,  whose  number  is  said  to  be  between 
forty  and  fifty  thousand.  This  sect  are  deprived  of 
many  of  the  privileges  that  other  citizens  have ;  which 
makes  it  astonishing  to  me  that  they  are  opposed  to 
the  present  revolution,  which  will  unquestionably 
place  them  upon  the  same  footing  with  the  other 
inhabitants.  Their  funds  in  the  British  coffers,  which 
are  great,  I  suspect  may  be  looked  to  as  the  cause  of 
this  disaffection ;  as  they  fear,  and  with  reason,  con 
siderable  injury  from  the  present  arrangement.  We 
visited  two  synagogues ;  but  as  there  was  no  singing, 
which  was  the  only  entertainment  we  promised  our 
selves,  we  made  but  a  short  stay.  There  was  a 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  145 

general  confused  noise,  —  some  talking  of  business, 
and  others  saying  their  Hebrew  prayers.  The  syna 
gogues  are  good  buildings,  and  always,  I  am  told, 
frequented  by  great  numbers  of  Jews. 

"  Sunday,  May  24th.  —  This  day  we  appropriated 
to  visiting  North  Holland.  We  crossed  over  to  a 
small  village,  where  we  took  a  carriage  for  Brock,  a 
village  very  much  distinguished  for  its  excess  of  neat 
ness.  Our  expectations  had  been  very  much  raised, 
and  we  had  formed  to  ourselves  an  improvement  upon 
the  general  cleanliness  which  pervades  all  Holland ; 
but  our  ideas  had  fallen  far  short  of  the  reality.  The 
houses  in  this  town  are  perfect  patterns  of  every 
thing  that  is  nice.  They  do  not  permit  the  entrance 
of  a  horse  into  the  town.  The  streets  are  as  nice  as 
a  parlor ;  and  are  sanded  every  morning,  in  serpentine 
lines. 

"  The  houses  are  painted  green  and  white ;  and 
have  small  gardens  in  front  of  them,  with  box  cut 
into  the  shape  of  different  animals.  The  gardens  are 
decorated  with  stones  of  various  colors.  We  were 
conducted  to  the  house  of  an  old  gentleman  by  the 
name  of  Claas  Ploeger,  who  has  been  very  curious  to 
collect  what  curiosities  he  could  from  the  captains 
he  has  employed ;  and  he  is  very  proud  of  showing 
to  strangers  his  little  museum,  which  is  decorated 
with  a  great  number  of  birds  and  beasts,  many  stones, 
and  other  things,  which  are  rare  of  their  kind.  His 
house,  however,  we  found  to  be  the  greatest  curiosity 
he  had  to  show  us.  At  the  door  where  we  entered 
was  spread  a  white  napkin  to  wipe  our  feet  upon,  and 

19 


146  MEMOIR    OF 

one  of  the  same  kind  at  each  door  we  entered.  We 
were  carried  through  the  different  departments,  and 
found  every  thing  to  correspond  to  this  excess  of  neat 
ness.  We  happened  to  be  at  this  place  just  at  dinner 
time,  the  cook-maid  having  taken  the  pot  in  which 
the  dinner  was  cooked  from  the  fire,  and  the  iron 
back  of  the  chimney-place  was  as  bright  as  silver. 
Mr.  Russell  and  myself  had  the  curiosity  to  wipe  it 
with  our  cambric  handkerchiefs,  without  their  being 
in  the  smallest  degree  soiled.  This  is  a  fact  which  I 
should  not  dare  to  commit  but  to  the  eye  of  friend 
ship,  it  has  the  appearance  so  much  of  a  travelling 
story ;  and,  had  there  not  been  witnesses  to  it  besides 
myself,  I  should  not  have  dared  even  to  note  it.  I 
promised  the  old  man  some  curiosities ;  at  which  he 
seemed  highly  gratified. 

"  This  place  is  mostly  inhabited  by  underwriters 
on  vessels,  who  have  their  agents  in  town,  or  go  there 
occasionally.  The  women  in  North  Holland  dress 
their  heads  in  a  very  peculiar  manner ;  and  I  am 
sure,  that,  if  all  the  women  would  make  patriotic 
gifts  of  the  gold  they  wear  upon  their  heads  to  their 
country,  the  debt  of  one  hundred  millions  to  the 
French  would  be  easily  paid. 

"  In  the  houses  of  North  Holland,  there  is  a  door 
which  is  never  opened  but  to  receive  the  bride  on 
the  day  of  marriage,  and  at  funerals.  This  town 
appeared  perfectly  dull  and  unpleasant.  The  inhabi 
tants  seem  to  have  no  occupation  but  that  of  keeping 
the  town  clean.  The  small  bridges  which  are  thrown 
over  the  canals  are  neat,  and  kept  in  good  order. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  147 

"  From  Brock  we  went  to  Saardam,  —  a  town  made 
famous  from  its  being  the  place  where  Peter  the  Great 
served  his  time  at  the  ship-carpenter's  trade.  We 
were  shown  the  house  where  he  lived ;  which  is  an 
obscure  hovel,  bearing  the  marks  of  antiquity  about 
it.  This  place  was  once  very  much  distinguished  for 
its  ship-yards ;  but  there  is  now  little  doing  in  that 
way.  The  number  of  mills,  all  of  which  are  carried 
by  wind,  is  upwards  of  eight  hundred.  The  town  is 
like  all  the  towns  of  Holland,  —  perfect  symmetry, 
and  perfection  on  the  score  of  cleanliness.  There  is 
one  custom  throughout  Holland  that  is  very  surpris 
ing  to  strangers  who  visit  the  country;  which  is, 
that  of  giving  to  the  servant  at  the  house  where  you 
dine  a  guilder.  Upon  this  principle,  the  servant, 
when  he  enters  into  the  service  of  any  one,  inquires 
if  he  has  much  company ;  and  his  wages  are  in  pro 
portion.  They  generally  keep  possession  of  your  hat, 
so  that  you  cannot  escape  them ;  and,  when  they  find 
you  are  about  going,  do  not  forget  to  attend  you  to 
the  door 

"  31st.  — We  crossed  the  Rhine  a  mile  from  Ley- 
den;  and,  at  eight  o'clock,  arrived  at  the  Hague. 
The  country  from  Amsterdam  to  this  place  is  princi 
pally  pasturing,  though  there  are  some  fields  of  wheat 
now  and  then  interspersed. 

"  June  1st.  —  As  soon  as  we  had  made  our  toilets, 
we  called  upon  Mr.  Adams,  the  American  minister  at 
the  Hague  ;  who  was  very  friendly  in  his  attentions, 
and  asked  us  to  dine  on  that  day.  We  traversed  the 
town,  and  find  it  very  beautiful :  indeed,  it  has  the 


148  MEMOIR    OF 

reputation  of  being  the  handsomest  city  in  Holland. 
The  garden  of  the  Prince  of  Orange  is  very  well 
suited  to  the  Dutch  taste,  which  consists  in  perfect 
symmetry  of  arrangement.  They  are  so  fond  of  this, 
that  they  will  not  suffer  a  tree  to  grow  as  Nature 
would  have  it,  let  its  shape  be  ever  so  fine ;  but  it 
must  be  tortured  to  meet  their  wishes.  The  canals 
are  broad,  and  the  avenues  of  trees  are  many  and 
beautiful.  This  place  is  still  the  residence  of  the 
states-general  and  the  foreign  ambassadors ;  and 
the  inhabitants  are  of  that  class  which  were  always 
dependent  on  the  court  for  a  living.  There  are  no 
manufactories  here,  as  in  most  of  the  towns  of  Hol 
land,  except  such  as  produce  objects  of  luxury.  The 
public  squares  and  walks  are  quite  beautiful.  We 
saw  a  parade  of  Dutch  and  French  troops  on  the 
same  square :  the  former  looked  as  if  they  were  just 
out  of  a  bandbox,  as  stiff  as  the  musket  they  bore 
on  their  shoulders ;  the  latter  were  dirty  and  ragged 
as  you  please,  but  with  an  air  of  vivacity  and  content 
in  their  faces  that  bespoke  cheerful  hearts.  It  is  an 
object  of  no  small  wonder  to  see  men,  who  were  a 
few  months  since  cutting  the  throats  of  each  other, 
now  friends,  and  uniting  their  efforts  against  the 
other  powers  which  were  leagued  with  the  Dutch  in 
the  first  of  the  revolution. 

"  Rotterdam,  2d.  —  The  weather  more  pleasant 
than  it  has  been  before.  Upon  the  whole,  I  like 
this  place  more  than  any  other  I  have  seen  in  Hol 
land.  The  houses  on  the  river  are  particularly  beau 
tiful,  and  pleasantly  situated. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  149 

"  4th.  —  This  morning,  at  five  o'clock,  we  left 
Rotterdam,  and,  at  ten  o'clock,  arrived  at  the  Mor- 
dyke,  where  we  now  are,  and  where  we  find  we  shall 
be  detained  five  or  six  hours  on  account  of  the  tide 
and  little  wind.  This  is  unpleasant ;  but,  as  we  are 
determined  not  to  fret  about  things  we  cannot  help, 
we  are  quietly  waiting  the  moving  of  the  waters. 

"  At  twelve  o'clock,  our  boat  made  an  attempt ; 
and,  at  half-past  one,  we  were  on  the  other  side  of 
the  Meuse. 

"  We  were  obliged  to  wait  some  time,  after  cross 
ing  the  Mordyke,  for  horses,  —  all  of  which  had 
been  taken  into  requisition  for  the  transportation 
of  artillery. 

"It  was  two  o'clock  before  we  set  off;  and,  to  our 
great  mortification,  we  find,  upon  our  arrival  at  the 
place  where  I  am  now  writing,  that  there  are  no  horses; 
and  we  are  obliged  to  wait  until  return  horses  come 
from  Antwerp  or  the  Mordyke.  The  reflection  which 
cheers  my  spirits  under  every  cross  accident,  and 
which  I  call  constantly  to  my  aid  when  things  go 
wrong,  is  that  I  am  on  my  way  to  meet  those  in  the 
society  of  whom  alone  I  am  or  can  be  happy.  May 
the  God  of  heaven  be  propitious  to  my  wishes,  and 
land  me  safe  in  a  country  which  has,  in  my  opinion, 
the  means  of  happiness  much  more  within  the  reach 
of  all  classes  of  people  than  any  I  have  yet  seen ! 

"  This  country  is  visited  every  year  by  large  num 
bers  of  storks.  They  are  of  the  size  of  a  very  large 
crane ;  perfectly  white,  except  the  ends  of  the  wings, 
which  are  black.  The  Hollanders  have  a  tradition, 


150  MEMOIR    OF 

that  this  bird  will  only  live  in  republics.  Whether 
it  is  for  this  or  some  other  reason,  I  know  not ;  but 
they  are  looked  upon  as  something  above  the  feathered 
race  in  general,  and  the  utmost  care  is  taken  to  pre 
vent  any  injury  coming  to  them ;  for  the  sin  of  hurt 
ing  one  of  these  birds  is  very  great.  There  is  no  fear 
of  any  thing,  of  this  kind  happening  from  the  inhabi 
tants,  who  have  a  religious  respect  for  the  bird ;  but 
from  those  who  consider  the  fowls  of  the  air  as 
common  stock,  and  the  property  of  those  who  can 
possess  themselves  of  them.  These  birds  build  upon 
the  corners  of  the  houses ;  and,  in  some  instances,  I 
have .  seen  their  nests  upon  places  erected  expressly 
for  them.  Their  nests  are  made  of  sticks,  and  are 
larger  in  circumference  than  the  head  of  a  barrel. 
They  live  upon  insects,  which  the  low  grounds  about 
here  furnish  in  great  plenty.  They  are  birds  of  pas 
sage,  and,  in  autumn,  assemble  in  large  flocks,  and 
rove  about  for  several  days  together  in  societies  of 
this  kind  previous  to  their  departure;  when  they  take 
an  amazing  height,  and  disappear  until  the  coming 
spring  calls  them  to  take  possession  of  their  old 
habitations.  It  is  unknown  to  what  country  they 
emigrate.  Thomson,  in  his  'Seasons,'  thus  speaks 
of  this  domestic,  affectionate  bird:  — 

'  Where  the  Rhine  loses  his  majestic  force 
In  Belgian  plains,  won  from  the  raging  deep 
By  diligence  amazing,  and  the  strong, 
Unconquerable  hand  of  Liberty, 
The  stork- assembly  meets  ;  for  many  a  day 
Consulting  deep,  and  various,  ere  they  take 
Their  arduous  voyage  through  the  liquid  sky. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  151 

And  now,  their  route  designed,  their  leaders  chose, 
Their  tribes  adjusted,  cleaned  their  vigorous  wings, 
And  many  a  circle,  many  a  short  essay, 
Wheeled  round  and  round,  in  congregation  full 
The  figured  flight  ascends,  and,  riding  high 
The  aerial  billows,  mixes  with  the  clouds.'  * 

"  The  country,  in  general,  looks  more  smiling  than 
when  we  went  on.  The  flax,  which  was  then  not  out 
of  the  ground,  forms  a  pretty  contrast  to  the  number 
less  shades  of  green  with  which  the  meadows  are 
clothed.  I  confess  it  is  with  pleasure  I  am  about 
to  leave  this  country.  It  has  been  observed,  by  an 
English  traveller,  'that  (speaking  of  Holland)  it  is 
a  country  where  the  earth  is  better  than  the  air,  and 
profit  more  in  request  than  honor;  where  there  is 
more  sense  than  wit,  more  good-nature  than  good- 
humor,  and  more  wealth  than  pleasure ;  where  a  man 
would  choose  rather  to  travel  than  to  live,  —  would 
find  more  things  to  observe  than  to  desire,  and  more 
persons  to  esteem  than  to  love.' 

"  5th,  Antwerp.  —  At  eight  o'clock,  we  arrived 
at  this  place,  having  ridden  all  the  night.  When 
we  were  going  to  Rotterdam,  over  the  same  road  we 
passed  last  evening,  it  was  in  the  daytime ;  and  we 
observed,  that  it  would  be  impossible  to  go  over  it  at 
night  without  being  upset.  We  little  thought  that 
we  should  make  the  trial  on  our  return  ;  but  this 
was  the  fact;  and  we  were  so  fortunate  as  not  to 
realize  what  we  had  great  reason  to  fear.  Although 
I  was  extremely  disposed  to  sleep,  yet  the  beauty 
of  the  evening,  and  the  melody  of  the  nightingales, 

*  It  is  ascertained  that  the  stork  migrates  to  North  Africa. 


MEMOIR    OF 

which  serenaded  us  the  night  long,  kept  me  awake ; 
and  I  scarce  ever  remember  to  have  passed  a  more 
pleasant  night.  We  find  that  we  cannot  cross  the 
ferry  which  passes  the  Scheld  until  slack  tide,  which 
is  twelve  o'clock;  so  that  we  shall  not  be  able  to 
get  any  farther  than  Ghent  (or  Gand,  as  the  French 
call  it)  this  night. 

"  The  few  houses  which  are  left  (after  the  devasta 
tion  of  war)  between  Courtray  and  Menin  speak  our 
approach  to  the  territory  of  France.  That  neatness 
so  conspicuous  in  the  houses  in  Holland  and  Austrian 
Flanders  is  taking  its  leave  of  us ;  and  more  urbanity 
and  good-humor,  with  less  attention  to  cleanliness,  is 
visible. 

"  The  line  between  Austrian  and  French  Flanders 
is  about  a  mile  from  Menin ;  and  here  is  established 
a  custom-house,  where  we  were  stopped  to  report  our 
luggage  and  destination,  as  well  as  place  of  departure ; 
which  being  done  to  the  satisfaction  of  the  officer 
who  made  the  inquiries,  he  suffered  us  to  go  on  with 
out  examining  our  baggage.  All  the  houses  round 
Menin  have  been  destroyed ;  and  every  thing  speaks 
the  distress  that  must  have  existed  here  the  last  year. 
The  road  is  almost  impassable,  from  the  pavement 
having  been  torn  up  by  the  heavy  cannon  and  wagons 
which  have  passed  over  it.  There  are  outworks  all 
round  this  city,  which  tell  the  regular  approaches  of 
the  French  when  they  besieged  it. 

"  The  first  village  we  passed,  after  leaving  French 
Flanders,  was  one  of  the  most  wretched  places  I  re 
member  to  have  ever  seen.  Mud-houses,  covered 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  153 

with  straw,  hold  a  set  of  beings  whose  general  ap 
pearance  corresponds  to  their  habitations. 

"  Lisle,  June  6th,  1795.  — We  arrived  at  this  place 
at  seven  o'clock  this  evening ;  and,  as  soon  as  we  had 
made  ourselves  up  a  little,  we  went  to  the  Comedy ; 
where  we  were  much  amused,  and  found  better  acting 
than  we  had  anticipated.  The  house  is  very  handsome 
within ;  and  the  style  without  is  that  of  the  Italian 
Opera  at  Paris,  which  is  thought  as  well  of  as  any 
theatre  in  the  city. 

"  We  took  up  our  quarters  at  the  Hotel  de  Bourbon. 
I  was  surprised  to  hear  this  hotel  called  by  its  ci-devant 
name  by  the  postilion  who  conducted  us  there.  The 
fact  is,  that  it  is  now  thought  less  enormous  to  call 
places  by  the  names  which  they  have  borne  for  cen 
turies  than  it  was  a  short  time  since.  At  the  table 
d'hote,  we  saw  two  gentlemen  who  had  just  arrived 
from  Paris.  They  tell  us  of  the  difficulty  of  procur 
ing  horses;  and  would  make  us  suppose  that  they 
have  worked  wonders,  in  surmounting  all  the  impedi 
ments  they  have  had  to  encounter.  We  have  been 
used  to  this  kind  of  story;  and  therefore  they  give 
us  no  uneasiness.  We  find  our  fellow-travellers,  too, 
have  had  their  '  hair-breadth  'scapes '  in  the  late  insur 
rection  of  the  faubourgs  of  Paris.  We  are  told  that 
there  are  several  deputies  of  the  Convention  decreed 
of  accusation ;  that  is,  in  other  words,  destined  to  lose 
their  lives  on  the  scaffold.  Great  God !  when  will 
the  vengeance  of  party-spirit  subside,  and  the  calm 
effects  of  reason  take  its  place  I  My  eyes  are  tired  of 
seeing,  and  my  ears  of  hearing,  of  the  sacrifice  of  the 

20 


154  MEMOIR    OF 

advocates  of  opposing  principles  to  the  unforgiving 
spirit  of  that  party  which  may  be  at  the  head,  and 
take  the  lead,  for  the  time  being. 

"  In  the  great  square  in  front  of  our  hotel,  they  are 
erecting  an  altar,  where  will  be  celebrated  the  triumph 
of  Liberty  over  Jacobinism  in  the  late  business  in 
Paris.  A  funebrial  fete  is  ordered  for  to-morrow 
throughout  the  Republic,  on  account  of  the  death 
of  the  member  Feraud,  who  was  assassinated  in  the 
Convention. 

"  The  gentlemen  from  Paris  tell  us  that  the  man 
who  shot  the  deputy,  and  the  one  who  afterwards 
carried  the  bleeding  head  on  a  pike,  in  exultation,  to 
the  Convention,  have  both  been  taken  up  and  guil 
lotined,  with  about  twenty  gens  darmes,  who  were 
convicted  of  aiding  and  abetting  the  late  affair.  There 
have  been  strong  suspicions  for  some  time  respecting 
the  good  disposition  of  the  gens  darmes  towards  the 
Convention;  but  there  is  now  no  doubt  of  their 
being  inimical;  and  they  are  ordered  out  of  Paris. 
Troops  of  the  line  are  now  the  guards  of  the  Con 
vention  and  of  Paris.  It  is  melancholy  that  this 
same  guillotine  should  have  got  into  such  quick 
motion  again.  It  is  to  be  feared:  that  ill  use  will  be 
made  of  it. 

"  7th.  —  Lisle  is  esteemed  one  of  the  most  con 
siderable  cities  in  France.  Its  numbers  are  not  so 
large  as  I  expected:  they  are  not  more  than  seventy- 
five  thousand.  The  streets  are  well  paved ;  wider  and 
straighter,  generally  speaking,  than  those  of  any  other 
place  I  have  visited  in  France ;  and,  were  they  kept 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  155 

clean,  they  would  certainly  appear  to  still  greater  ad 
vantage.  The  fact  is,  they  are  like  all  the  towns  in 
France  that  I  have  seen,  —  overflowed  with  filth  of 
one  kind  and  another.  I  am  a  little  surprised  that 
their  proximity  to  Austrian  Flanders  has  not  improved 
them  on  this  score.  Old  habits  are  not  easily  dis 
pensed  with :  they  will,  therefore,  live  as  they  always 
have  lived,  —  a  gay,  laughing,  unthinking,  dirty  peo 
ple.  I  mean  dirty  as  it  respects  their  houses  and 
streets.  As  to  their  clothes  and  persons,  they  have 
infinitely  the  advantage  of  their  neighbors. 

"  We  are  told  that  there  never  was  more  business 
done  in  Lisle  than  at  this  moment.  The  truth  is,  that 
the  Parisians,  who  are  losing  all  confidence  in  paper- 
money,  are  throwing  all  they  have  into  those  towns 
which  have  goods  to  dispose  of:  and  the  event  must 
be  ruinous  to  the  manufacturers,  whose  goods  are 
estimated  according  to  the  rate  at  which  the  materials 
cost  them;  which  it  will  be  impossible  for  them  to 
replace  at  treble  the  price  they  paid  for  the  present 
stock.  Were  a  person  to  travel  through  this  place  un 
acquainted  with  the  situation  of  France,  and  the  great 
distress  that  a  very  destructive  war  has  occasioned  to 
the  country  at  large,  the  last  thing  which  would  pre 
sent  itself  to  his  imagination  would  be,  that  the  coun 
try  was  in  any  other  situation  than  that  of  peace  and 
happiness.  All  is  gayety  and  pleasure ;  and  not  a 
frown  seems  to  sit  upon  the  brow  of  any  person  I 
have  met. 

"The  cannonade  of  this  place  lasted  nine  days 
and  nights  without  ceasing  ;  when,  finding  that,  from 


156  MEMOIR    OF 

its  natural  and  acquired  advantages,  it  could  be  taken 
only  with  infinite  difficulty,  and,  when  taken,  could 
not  be  held,  on  account  of  the  Citadel,  the  enemy 
abandoned  their  enterprise,  after  having  committed 
this  cruel  devastation.  The  Archduchess  of  Austria 
touched  several  mortars  which  were  fired  into  Lisle  ; 
by  which  her  name  will  be  handed  down  to  infamy. 

"  This  place  was  fortified  by  the  famous  Vauban 
in  the  time  of  Louis  IV.,  and  is  esteemed  his  chef- 
d'oeuvre. 

"  The  Citadel  is  esteemed  the  finest  in  Europe ;  and, 
although  we  were  assured  that  no  person  could  gain 
admittance,  our  curiosity  urged  us  to  the  attempt; 
which  was  attended  with  success,  and  the  highest 
degree  of  gratification.  When  we  asked  admittance 
of  the  sentinel  who  was  at  the  outer  gate  of  the 
Citadel,  our  cards  of  admittance  were  demanded ;  and 
the  soldier  was  surprised  to  find  we  were  not  fur 
nished  with  any,  and  told  us  we  could  not  repass 
without  them.  We  were  conducted  to  the  command 
ant,  who  received  us  with  a  great  deal  of  politeness. 
We  told  him  that  we  were  Americans,  and  showed  him 
our  passports,  saying  that  we  were  desirous  of  seeing 
this  fortress,  celebrated  throughout  the  world  as  the 
chef-d'oeuvre  of  Vauban.  He  said  he  would  gratify 
us ;  and  immediately  sent  the  secretary  with  us,  and 
told  him  to  show  us  every  thing  that  was  curious. 
We  were  flattered  very  much  by  this  civility,  which 
was  what  we  had  no  right  to  expect.  The  young 
man  who  conducted  us  explained  every  part  of  the 
works  to  us,  and  showed  us  all  that  was  to  be  seen. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  157 

The  Citadel,  when  completely  garrisoned,  is  capable  of 
holding  eight  thousand  men ;  for  which  number  there 
are  complete  accommodations.  All  the  barracks  and 
magazines  are  built  in  brick  and  stone ;  and  are  very 
neat,  and  well  constructed.  There  are  also  subterra 
neous  barracks  and  hospitals,  equal  to  the  accommo 
dation  of  the  complete  garrison,  in  case  the  barracks 
should  be  destroyed.  All  parts  of  the  works  are 
mined ;  and  the  fortifications  are  so  constructed,  that, 
in  case  the  city  is  taken,  there  cannot  be  a  single 
piece  of  artillery  brought  to  bear  upon  the  Citadel ; 
whereas  the  strongest  works  of  this  fortress  are  op 
posed  to  the  city  ;  and  it  would  not  be  possible  for  the 
enemy  to  keep  possession  of  it  three  hours,  if  the 
batteries  from  the  Citadel  were  opened  upon  them. 

"  After  we  had  taken  a  very  particular  survey  of  the 
Citadel,  the  gentleman  told  us  that  we  had  seen  every 
thing  there  which  was  worthy  of  notice ;  and  he  ob 
served,  that  we  could  now  say  we  had  seen  the  finest 
piece  of  workmanship,  of  the  kind,  that  genius  and  art 
had  to  boast  of.  We  returned  on  the  same  route  by 
which  we  had  entered,  and  went  immediately  to  our 
lodgings,  not  a  little  fatigued  with  our  ramble,  and  dis 
posed  to  breakfast.  It  was  ten  o'clock  when  we  got 
home,  and  we  had  set  off  at  six ;  so  that  we  had  been 
about  four  hours  without  any  respite  from  walking. 

"  At  eleven  o'clock,  we  left  Lisle,  after  being  obliged 
to  hire  private  horses  to  take  us  to  the  first  post. 
Through  the  first  post,  the  road  was  entirely  torn  up 
by  the  cannon  and  heavy  wagons  which  had  passed 
over  the  pavement  during  the  siege,  and  made  it  diffi- 


158  MEMOIR    OF 

cult  to  pass.  We,  however,  got  on  to  Carvin  without 
any  accident.  This  is  a  small  village ;  the  houses 
miserable  huts,  filled  in  with  mud,  and  covered  with 
straw.  The  postilion,  in  expectation  of  being  well 
paid  for  his  services,  drove  off,  with  a  crack  of  his 
whip,  at  full  gallop ;  and  an  hour  saw  us  at  the  Post 
House  at  Lens.  I  was  surprised  to  see  the  people  on 
the  road  and  in  the  village  so  well  dressed ;  and,  upon 
inquiry,  found  it  was  for  Sunday.  This  is  a  great 
proof  of  their  disapprobation  of  the  new  division  of 
time  adopted  in  France,  and  is  a  sign  of  its  falling  off 
altogether.  I  asked  some  of  the  good  folks  if  they 
went  to  Mass ;  and  they  answered,  that  any  one  who 
wished  to  say  Mass  did  it  how  or  where  he  pleased. 
The  churches  are  not  yet  opened ;  but  it  is  expected 
that  they  shortly  will  be  so  universally.  I  asked  a 
young  woman,  who  was  standing  at  the  door  of  the 
Post  House,  if  she  had  been  to  church.  She  answered, 
that  she  was  too  good  a  republican  to  go  to  places  of 
that  kind.  "She  appeared  to  be  about  sixteen  years 
of  age  !  I  do  not  think,  however,  that  the  system  of 
Robespierre  has  had  this  effect  generally.  Like  per 
secutions  of  every  kind,  it  rather  attached  those  who 
thought  it  an  oppression  to  the  object  of  it  than 
weaned  them  from  it ;  and  the  women,  in  particular, 
were  made  enemies  of  the  revolution  by  this  most  im 
politic  measure  of  restraining  people  in  their  mode  of 
worship.  With  those  who  have  any  religion,  all  the 
laws  that  man  can  enact  will  not  succeed  in  changing 
their  minds.  The  unhappy  effect  was  on  those  who 
had  hearts  to  commit  bad  actions,  but  who  were  kept 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  159 

within  bounds  by  the  fear  of  a  day  of  reckoning ;  so 
that,  when  all  fear  of  this  kind  was  removed,  they 
gave  way  to  the  commission  of  crimes  which  blacken 
the  history  of  this  country. 

"  We  set  off  for  Arras.  Our  last  postilion  having 
made  a  good  report  of  our  liberality,  we  had  nothing 
to  complain  of.  We  had  but  poor  horses;  but  the 
driver  had  all  the  disposition  to  get  them  on  in  the 
world. 

"  There  is  a  kind  of  grass  very  common  here,  which 
is  called  sain  foin,  or,  in  English,  wholesome  hay, 
which  looks  very  beautifully  in  the  fields.  It  has 
more  likeness,  when  at  a  distance,  to  clover  than  to 
any  other  herb  I  know ;  but,  when  near,  it  is  quite 
different.  Its  color  is  a  bright  murrey ;  and  its  quality 
is  much  more  esteemed  than  even  clover.  It  is  sold 
at  nearly  twice  the  price  of  any  other  hay  which  is 
grown  in  the  country. 

"  At  about  half  the  distance  from  Lens  to  Arras, 
there  is  a  hill,  over  Avhich  the  highway  runs,  which 
affords  one  of  the  most  superb  prospects  I  ever  saw. 
From  this  eminence,  we  came  in  sight  of  Arras  ;  and 
we  were  petrified  at  the  thought  of  all  the  horrors  of 
which  this  place  has  been  the  theatre.  Robespierre 
was  born  in  this  place ;  and  most  unnaturally  doomed 
it  to  destruction,  by  sending  Lebon  to  reside  here  as 
representative  of  the  people.  The  unlimited  power 
which  has  been  annexed  to  this  appointment  has 
caused  thousands  of  sacrifices  in  this  devoted  country. 
Had  the  judges  and  juries  which  composed  the  revo 
lutionary  tribunals  been  chosen  indiscriminately  from 


160  MEMOIR    OF 

among  the  people,  it  is  to  be  presumed  that  thousands 
would  have  been  spared  who  had  no  crimes  to  be 
charged  with  but  that  of  being  virtuous,  and  having 
spoken  against  some  of  the  sanguinary  measures  of 
the  bloodthirsty  men  who  held  the  bloody  axe  over 
the  heads  of  their  unhappy  countrymen.  The  fact  was 
otherwise :  they  were,  in  all  instances,  the  creatures  of 
the  representative  who  was  in  commission  where  the 
tribunal  was  held ;  and  they  generally  proved  them 
selves  faithful  servants  of  their  hellish  masters. 

"  Perhaps  there  never  was  a  situation  in  which 
people  were  more  at  a  loss  how  to  act  than  those 
who  had  nothing  to  do  with  government  affairs,  at  a 
certain  period,  throughout  the  Republic.  A  smile 
has  been  construed  as  an  indication  of  the  probable 
success  of  a  premeditated  plot ;  and  he  who  wore  it 
paid  the  forfeit  with  his  life.  A  pensive  countenance 
was  construed  into  a  design  in  contemplation  against 
the  state ;  and,  if  a  person  staid  at  home  to  avoid  so 
critical  a  situation  as  hazard  might  have  thrown  him 
into  while  mixing  with  the  crowd,  it  was  observed 
by  one  of  the  thousand  emissaries  employed  by  those 
who  sought  for  blood ;  and  an  accusation  was  brought 
against  him,  as  brooding  over  mischief  at  home,  and 
threatening  the  unity  and  indivisibility  of  the  Re 
public.  These  are  among  the  many  crimes  charged 
against  Lebon,  and  from  which  he  cannot  clear  him 
self  before  his  judges.  As  the  appointment  of  the 
tribunal  was  by  the  representative,  he  had  also  the 
power  of  changing  its  members  as  often  as  he  pleased, 
or  as  frequently  as  they  did  not  carry  into  effect  his 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  161 

sanguinary  measures.  An  old  man  was  devoted  by 
Lebon  to  death  on  the  scaffold,  and  was  sent  to  trial 
by  those  judges,  from  whom  few  escaped  but  by  the 
gate  of  death.  His  virtues  were  many,  his  character 
unimpeachable ;  no  charge  against  him  had  the  smallest 
degree  of  support;  and  he  was  dismissed,  and,  to  the  joy 
of  his  friends  and  family,  returned  as  from  the  grave. 
He  was  very  rich,  and  was  an  object  of  the  avarice  of 
this  monster ;  who  no  sooner  heard  that  the  man  whom 
he  had  doomed  to  death  had  been  spared,  than  he  sent 
for  the  judges,  and  demanded  how  it  came  to  pass 
that  he  was  not  condemned.  They  answered,  that 
there  was  not  the  smallest  shadow  of  support  to  the 
charges ;  and  that,  without  some  show  of  reason,  they 
could  not  condemn  one  who  was  of  so  fair  a  character ; 
and  they  had  therefore  cleared  him.  He  dismissed 
them  from  his  presence  in  a  rage,  broke  them  all,  and 
named  new  judges  ;  and  had  the  innocent  citizen, 
who  supposed  himself  now  secure  (having  passed  the 
fiery  ordeal),  once  more  torn  from  his  friends,  and 
sent  to  the  tribunal.  The  same  afternoon,  he  was 
beheaded  on  the  scaffold;  his  property  was  confis 
cated,  and  his  wretched  family  thrown  into  prison. 

"  It  is  not  surprising  that  every  one  is  exasperated 
against  Lebon,  to  a  great  degree,  in  this  city  and  the 
neighborhood.  I  had  always  supposed  that  the  rich 
alone  had  been  the  sufferers  in  the  excesses  that  have 
been  committed  in  France ;  but  I  now  find  that  this 
is  not  the  fact.  The  principle  was  to  spread  terror 
throughout  all  classes  of  citizens ;  and  therefore  the 
farmer  and  artisan,  as  well  as  the  merchant  and  noble- 

21 


MEMOIR    OF 


man,  were  involved  in  the  general  calamity.  It  would 
be  dangerous  to  commit  such  power  to  the  most  virtu 
ous  of  the  community  as  was  put  into  the  hands  of 
the  representatives  on  mission. 

"  I  am  informed,  on  good  authority,  that  the  wife 
of  Lebon  was,  if  possible,  more  inhuman  than  he 
himself;  and  that  once,  when  only  three  or  four 
persons  were  to  be  guillotined,  upon  being  told  of  it, 
that  she  might  attend,  as  was  her  usual  custom,  she 
observed  that  it  was  no  object  to  see  so  sorry  a  spec 
tacle  as  only  three  or  four  would  make.  I  think  the 
horrid  passion  of  this  woman  may  be  traced  to  avarice, 
which  was  fed  by  the  death  of  so  many  unfortunate 
persons,  who  all  contributed  to  fill  the  coffers  of  her 
husband  ;  while  her  person  was  adorned  with  jewels 
rifled  from  their  widows  and  orphans.  There  re 
mained  a  vast  number  of  persons  in  prison,  at  the 
time  of  the  overthrow  of  Robespierre,  in  almost  every 
part  of  the  Republic.  His  death  gave  them  their 
liberty  ;  and  their  places  are  now  occupied  by  their 
persecutors.  When  this  system  of  retaliation  will 
cease,  God  only  knows. 

"  8th.  —  We  were  off  at  six  o'clock  ;  and  intended  to 
breakfast  at  Doulens,  which  is  a  post  and  a  half  from 
where  we  lodged:  but  the  Post  House  did  not  afford 
any  thing  eatable  ;  and  we  were,  therefore,  obliged  to 
have  recourse  to  our  wine  and  bread,  in  place  of  a 
more  agreeable  repast.  We  found  the  post-horses  at 
Doulens  the  worst  we  had  met  on  the  road  ;  and,  al 
though  it  is  but  six  leagues  to  Amiens,  we  fear  we 
shall  get  there  at  a  late  dining-hour. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  163 

"  The  province  of  Picardy,  of  which  Amiens  is  the 
capital,  is  very  highly  cultivated  in  grain  and  pas 
turage,  and  abounds  with  fruit ;  but  has  not  the  fine 
hills  and  vales,  interspersed  with  extensive  woods, 
which  delight  the  eye  in  the  province  of  Artois,  of 
which  Arras  is  the  seat  of  government.  To  supply 
the  place  of  wood,  turf  is  the  general  fuel  of  the 
province. 

"  We  got  on  to  Amiens  by  two  o'clock,  where  we 
found  a  table  d'hote  prepared.  This  place  has  the 
appearance  of  great  antiquity.  The  buildings  are 
mostly  in  a  decaying  state.  The  streets  seem  to  be 
abandoned,  except  by  beggars ;  by  whom  our  carriage 
was  surrounded,  as  soon  as  we  halted  at  the  door  of 
the  auberge.  We  felt  too  much  inclined  to  get  some 
thing  to  satisfy  our  hunger  to  make  the  accustomed 
settlement  with  this  class  of  miser ables  ;  and  could 
not  have  passed  them  without  harsh  usage,  had  we 
not  promised  them  something  when  we  should  be 
about  to  depart.  This  had  the  effect  which  was  to 
be  expected ;  and,  when  we  were  ready  to  return  to 
our  carriage,  we  found  the  court-yard  full  of  the  halt 
and  the  blind.  They  had  sounded  the  alarm,  and 
were  re-enforced  from  all  quarters.  Having  made  a 
provision  of  small  bills,  we  sallied  forth,  and  were 
astonished  to  see  the  number  of  poor  creatures  who 
were  collected  to  ask  for  something  in  the  name  of 
God.  There  were  always  a  great  number  of  beggars 
in  France;  but  the  number  must  have  necessarily 
very  much  increased  with  the  distresses  of  the  coun 
try  in  general.  Many,  who  were  once  supported  by  a 


164  MEMOIR    OF 

son  who  has  been  sent  into  the  army,  or  by  a  husband 
who  has  been  dragged  to  slaughter,  are  now  reduced 
to  this  melancholy  alternative  for  the  support  of  a 
miserable  existence. 

"  We  met  with  an  inhabitant  of  Arras  at  the  table 
d'hote  who  was  once  destined  as  a  victim  by  the  bloody 
mandate  of  Lebon ;  and  would  have  shortly  had  his 
trial,  had  not  the  Jacobin  party  fallen.  Among  a 
variety  of  facts  which  mark  Lebon  as  the  Nero  of  his 
age,  at  least  in  cruelty,  this  gentleman  told  us  of  one, 
which  shows  that  he  took  pleasure  in  refining  on  the 
principle  he  had  laid  down.  On  a  day  in  which  seve 
ral  persons  were  to  be  executed,  and  when  one  was 
already  tied,  and  the  axe  was  on  the  point  of  falling, 
he  cried  to  the  executioner  to  stop.  The  unhappy 
man  was  raised,  and  stood  in  a  state  of  awful  suspense. 
As  he  was  conscious  of  his  innocence,  he  had  a  mo 
mentary  gleam  of  hope  that  his  rectitude  had  been 
made  to  appear,  and  that  the  paper  which  Lebon  held 
in  his  hand  was  his  pardon.  When  all  was  silence, 
Lebon  read  an  account  of  a  victory  of  small  impor 
tance,  which  he  had  just  received  tidings  of  from 
Paris  ;  having  finished  which,  he  told  the  executioner 
to  proceed  in  the  business  of  death.  The  person  who 
gave  us  the  account  of  this  incident,  said  he  was 
present  when  it  occurred.  It  is  astonishing  that  the 
great  majority  of  the  people  of  this  country  should 
have  remained  so  long  torpid  under  such  a  state  of 
tyranny.  The  fact  is,  that  all  classes  of  people  were 
petrified ;  and  no  one  dared  to  communicate  with  his 
friends,  much  less  with  -people  in  general,  respect- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  165 

ing  the  evil  that  every  one  felt.  Terror  hung  over 
the  nation  ;  and  no  one  dared  to  show  the  way  to 
opposition,  lest  what  was  the  effect  of  a  principle  of 
self-defence  should  be  construed  as  the  result  of  a 
counter-revolutionary  principle.  This  has  been  the 
watchword  for  all  the  horrors  that  have  blackened 
the  history  of  the  country.  A  word,  arid  sometimes 
a  look,  was  taken  for  incivism  ;  and  immolation  was 
the  consequence.  There  was  an  unparalleled  activity 
in  those  bloodthirsty  men,  which  did  not  give  time  to 
those,  who  had  courage  to  contemplate  a  plan  of  op 
posing  the  bloodsuckers  of  the  country,  to  put  their 
wishes  in  practice.  The  excesses  of  Carrier  in  Nantes 
and  its  vicinity  ended  in  an  open  war  in  that  part  of 
the  country,  which  has  caused  the  Republic  the  loss 
of  more  than  three  hundred  thousand  men,  —  or  rather 
inhabitants ;  for  there  was  no  distinction  of  age  or 
sex :  all  fell  before  the  victors,  whether  rebels  or 
republicans.  The  sanguinary  disposition  of  Carrier 
was  not  contented  with  the  tardy  mode  of  execution 
which  the  guillotine  offered:  so  he  had  boats  con 
structed,  into  which  he  plunged  indiscriminately  men, 
women,  and  children;  and,  merely  opening  a  valve 
which  was  in  the  bottom,  the  boat  sunk  with  the 
unhappy  passengers.  .  .  . 

"  Paris,  16th.  —  The  weather  is  becoming  extremely 
pleasant,  and  entices  one  from  the  walls  of  Paris  ; 
which,  as  the  season  advances,  is  becoming  very  dis 
agreeable  from  the  heat  and  filth. 

"We  are  informed  this  day  that  the  trial  of  the 
eight  deputies  of  the  National  Convention,  who  were 


166  MEMOIR    OF 

decreed  of  accusation  by  their  colleagues,  as  promoters 
of  the  disturbances  of  the  1st  of  Prairial,  is  to  come 
on  before  the  Military  Commission.  This  court  has 
been  established  since  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal  was 
abolished.  It  is  neither  more  nor  less  than  a  court- 
martial,  and  is  composed  of  eight  officers  of  rank. 
They  have  had  the  trial  of  all  those  persons  who  have 
been  arrested  as  concerned  in  the  attempt  against  the 
Convention,  many  of  whom  they  have  sent  to  expiate 
their  crime  at  the  guillotine. 

"  The  name  of  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal  has  been 
detested  throughout  this  country;  for  it  has  con 
demned  all  the  martyrs  who  have  suffered  in  the 
cause  of  liberty  through  the  influence  of  Robes 
pierre  ;  and,  indeed,  all  who  suffered  by  the  guillotine 
had  their  mock-trial  at  this  bar.  The  last  trials  be 
fore  this  tribunal  were  those  of  its  former  judges, 
jurors,  and  attorney-general ;  who  were  tried  for  the 
crimes  they  had  committed  while  in  office,  and  con 
demned  to  die  for  their  unheard-of  cruelties  by  the 
same  machine  to  which  they  had  condemned  thou 
sands.  This  was  esteemed  the  most  just  thing  that 
was  ever  done  by  this  tribunal ;  and  with  it  ended  its 
existence,  a  short  time  previous  to  the  insurrection  of 
the  faubourgs.  As  there  was  no  criminal  court  esta 
blished,  the  Military  Commission  was  created,  for  the 
purpose  of  trying  those  concerned  in  that  affair.  It 
is  held  in  the  house  of  an  emigrant,  which  can  hold 
but  few  persons.  We  found  a  large  body  of  people 
waiting,  and  very  much  feared  we  should  not  gain 
admittance ;  but  Mr.  Russell,  having  an  ambassador's 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  167 

ticket  of  entrance  to  the  National  Assembly,  obtained 
permission  for  us  to  enter.  We  were  introduced  into 
the  room  where  the  court  sat,  which  was  capable  of 
holding  about  sixty  or  seventy  spectators.  The  names 
of  the  members  who  were  accused  were  Bourbotte, 
Rhull,  Romme,  Goujon,  Du  Roy,  Forestier,  Dusques- 
noy,  Soubrany,  and  Peyssard.  Rhull,  unable  to  un 
dergo  a  trial  which  he  supposed  would  be  but  a 
prelude  to  his  death  on  the  scaffold,  put  an  end  to  his 
existence  the  day  before  yesterday.  When  we  entered, 
we  found  Bourbotte  before  the  court.  He  was  seated 
in  the  centre  of  that  part  of  the  room  occupied  by  the 
court,  and  was  guarded  on  each  side  by  a  soldier,  who 
held  a  drawn  sword  in  his  hand.  The  judges  were 
dressed  in  their  regimentals.  Three  or  four  of  them 
showed  by  their  uniform  that  they  were  general  offi 
cers  ;  and  seemed,  from  their  conduct,  to  have  some 
fellow-feeling  for  the  unfortunate  men  who  were  ar 
raigned  before  them.  There  were  eight  sentinels  in 
the  room ;  and  every  thing  looked  martial.  There  was 
also  a  body  of  troops  in  the  court-yard  below.  Bour 
botte  is  a  very  handsome,  well-made  man,  of  about 
thirty-five  years  of  age.  He  was  accused  of  being  one 
of  the  members  of  the  Convention,  who,  on  the  night 
of  the  1st  of  Prairial  (or  22d  of  May  last),  made 
some  of  the  motions  upon  which  certain  decrees  were 
passed  by  the  few  members  who  remained  in  the  hall 
of  the  Convention.  One  of  his  motions  is  said  to 
have  been  for  the  immediate  arrest  of  the  members  of 
the  Committee  of  Public  Safety  and  General  Surety. 
He  denies  this ;  but  there  is  a  person  who  has  proved 


168  MEMOIR    OF 

that  he  was  in  one  of  the  tribunes,  and  that  he  him 
self  heard  him  make  the  motion,  and  second  others 
equally  anti-modere.  He  was  asked  by  the  president 
of  the  court-martial  if  he  had  any  observations  to 
make  upon  the  evidence  of  the  person  who  had  been 
giving  his  deposition ;  and  answered,  that  he  had 
nothing  more  to  say  than  he  had  before  said  in  an 
swer  to  the  interrogations  which  had  been  put  to  him. 
Every  thing  that  is  deposed  by  a  witness,  or  answered 
in  defence  by  the  prisoner,  is  taken  down  by  a  secre 
tary,  as  the  one  or  the  other  speaks;  so  that  the 
prisoner  speaks  as  many  words  as  he  supposes  the 
secretary  can  remember,  who  writes  them  down,  and 
then  goes  on  with  all  he  has  to  say.  When  the  pri 
soner  has  finished,  it  is  read  to  him,  that  he  may 
agree  to  its  being  what  he  uttered ;  after  which,  he 
signs  it,  as  confirmation  of  its  validity.  I  should  have 
supposed,  that,  uttering  in  this  way  perhaps  half  a 
sentence  at  a  time,  one  would  lose  the  thread  of  the 
defence,  and  would  labor  under  a  great  disadvantage. 
This,  however,  was  not  the  case  in  any  instance  this 
day,  that  I  remember,  as  respected  those  on  trial.  The 
witnesses  appeared  much  less  cool  and  collected  than 
those  whom  they  accused,  and  made  several  mistakes 
in  keeping  the  thread  of  their  testimony.  The  pri 
soner  had  his  snuff-box,  which  he  carelessly  twirled 
betwixt  his  thumb  and  finger,  occasionally  taking 
from  it  a  pinch  of  snuff.  He  showed  not  the  smallest 
signs  of  fear;  although  he  must  be  sensible,  and 
undoubtedly  is  so,  that,  in  three  or  four  days,  the 
thread  of  his  existence  will  be  cut.  The  evidence  is 
very  full  against  him,  and  nothing  can  save  him. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  169 

"  The  witness  deposed,  among  other  things,  that  he 
heard  the  prisoner  say  that  he  had  just  come  from  a 
coffee-house  in  the  neighborhood,  and  that  he  had 
taken  there  several  glasses  of  wine ;  and,  from  the 
warmth  of  his  expressions,  he  (the  witness)  supposed 
him  to  be  intoxicated.  The  prisoner  smiled,  but  an 
swered  nothing. 

"  Forestier  is  an  old  man,  and  the  charges  against 
him  are  light ;  and  I  am  of  opinion  that  he  will  not 
be  found  guilty. 

"The  witness  who  was  examined  respecting  Du 
Roy,  Romme,  and  Goujon,  testified  that  he  saw  three 
of  the  members  (describing  them  according  to  their 
dress  and  appearance)  very  warmly  taking  a  part  in 
the  Convention  in  forming  the  decrees  which  were 
made  on  that  memorable  night.  The  prisoners  were 
severally  called  in ;  and  the  witness  said  they  were  the 
persons  he  alluded  to.  They  observed,  that,  in  such  a 
situation  as  the  witness  was  in,  and  in  the  tumults  of 
that  night,  it  could  not  be  possible  for  him  to  be 
certain  of  the  identity  of  their  persons.  This  idea 
seemed  to  me  to  be  rational  enough ;  but  the  rest  of 
the  audience  smiled  at  the  idea.  They  all  answered, 
upon  being  asked  if  they  had  any  further  defence  to 
make,  that  their  answers  to  the  interrogatories  put  by 
the  court  were  their  defence ;  and  they  said  not  much 
to  the  witnesses  who  were  examined. 

"  These  members  are  all  of  what  is  called  the  Moun 
tain  party  in  the  Convention.  This  is  another  name 
for  Jacobin ;  and  therefore  all  Paris  is  against  them, 
since  the  Convention  (that  is  to  say,  the  Moderes) 

22 


170  MEMOIR    OF 

have  got  the  day.  How  it  would  have  been,  had 
the  faubourgs  got  the  upper  hand,  there  is  no  know 
ing.  Goujon  is  quite  a  young  man.  One  of  the 
witnesses  deposed  that  he  heard  him  speak  with 
a  great  deal  of  warmth  on  the  night  of  the  1st;  on 
hearing  which,  Goujon  asked,  with  a  smile  of  indigna 
tion,  what  member  of  sensibility  there  was  who  would 
not  show  warmth  on  such  a  night  as  that.  He  seems 
a  very  intelligent  young  man,  of  about  twenty-six 
or  twenty-eight.  If  his  fate  is  to  be  a  guillotine,  Mr. 
Russell  and  I  are  of  opinion  he  will  meet  it  like  a 
man.  Indeed,  they  all  show  an  astonishing  degree 
of  coolness  and  reconciliation  to  the  fate  that  awaits 
them,  particularly  Bourbotte,  who,  as  he  left  the  room, 
bowed  and  smiled  upon  several  persons,  who  were,  I 
suppose,  some  of  his  acquaintance.  There  is  one 
thing  respecting  this  trial  which  I  cannot  think  quite 
right.  When  these  men  were  decreed  of  accusation, 
and  ordered  to  be  tried  by  the  Military  Commission, 
they  called  upon  several  members  of  the  Convention 
as  witnesses  in  their  favor.  The  court  referred  the 
propriety  of  calling  the  members  of  that  body,  who 
had  been  their  accusers,  as  witnesses ;  and  the  Conven 
tion,  after  discussing  the  point,  agreed  that  the  court 
were  competent  to  determine  every  thing  of  that  kind, 
and  passed  to  the  order  of  the  day.  The  fact  is,  the 
members  were  not  called!  Had  there  been  a  ques 
tion  of  calling  any  of  the  members  of  that  body,  who 
accused  the  prisoners,  in  behalf  of  the  government, 
it  would  not  have  been  right ;  but  that  they  should 
deny  this  privilege  to  the  accused,  seems  to  me  extraor- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PEEKINS.  171 

dinary.  The  judge  informed  us,  at  about  half-past 
three,  that  the  court  would  be  opened  again  the  next 
day  at  twelve  o'clock.  As  I  was  going  out,  the  officer 
who  conducted  us  to  the  chamber  told  me,  that,  if  I 
wished  to  see  them  receive  sentence,  I  must  come 
by  eleven  o'clock  to-morrow.  There  seems  to  be  no 
doubt  in  the  minds  of  the  people  how  this  business 
will  terminate ;  and  I  dare  say  they  would  not  be 
insured  from  the  axe  of  the  law  for  ninety-nine  per 
cent.  Romme  appeared  to  me  to  be  the  only  one  who 
had  fear  marked  upon  his  countenance.  He  is  very 
obnoxious  to  the  reigning  party;  and  they  will  rejoice 
at  his  fate,  should  it  be  execution  on  the  Place  de  la 
Revolution.  If  possible,  I  shall  go  to  the  commission 
to-morrow. 

"  Exchange  this  day  rather  better  than  for  some 
days  past.  I  am  told  that  guineas  have  been  sold  for 
five  hundred  and  fifty  to-day.  They  were  eight  hun 
dred  yesterday.  There  is  a  report  about  finance  once 
more  coming  forward,  which  occasions  this. 

"17th.  —  Mr.  Russell  and  myself  having  business 
to  attend  to  until  one  o'clock,  we  did  not  go  out  as  we 
intended.  We  then  went  into  the  Rue  St.  Honore  to 
call  on  Mr.  Pearsall,  where  we  heard  that  judgment 
had  been  pronounced  upon  six  of  the  eight  deputies, 
and  that  they  were  to  be  executed  immediately.  We 
felt  anxious  to  see  the  conduct  of  men,  who  had  smiled 
at  death  at  a  distance,  upon  a  nearer  and  more  cer 
tain  approach  of  the  king  of  terrors.  We  took  a 
stand  in  the  street  which  leads  into  the  Place  de  la 
Revolution,  where  the  guillotine  was  already  erected, 


172  MEMOIR   OF 

although  the  prisoners  had  not  been  condemned  above 
an  hour.  We  had  not  waited  long  before  we  saw  the 
horse-guards  approach ;  and,  soon  after,  the  prisoners, 
upon  a  cart.  We  found  there  were  but  three  of  them 
in  the  cart,  whom  we  recognized  as  Bourbotte,  Du 
Roy,  and  Soubrany.  The  first  was  sitting  erect  in 
the  cart,  and  the  others  were  lying  upon  their  backs. 
We  did  not  know  how  to  account  for  this,  until  we 
saw  they  were  all  weltering  in  their  blood ;  and  we 
soon  heard  that  they  had  all  attempted  to  take  their 
own  lives  as  soon  as  they  were  remanded  to  prison. 
Bourbotte  looked  very  pale  from  the  loss  of  blood ; 
but  his  appearance  was  as  placid  and  as  little  agitated 
as  if  he  were  taking  an  airing  in  a  coach ;  and  he 
looked  round  with  a  smile  upon  us  barbarians  who 
were  assembled  to  see  him  die.  The  guards  were  very 
strong,  and  were  all  troops  of  the  line.  When  the 
cart  arrived  at  the  guillotine,  Soubrany  was  lifted  out, 
and  laid  upon  the  plank  without  being  tied.  There 
was  very  little  life  remaining  in  him ;  and  a  few  hours 
must  have  relieved  him,  had  the  execution  of  the 
sentence  been  procrastinated.  It  is  common  for  all 
the  prisoners  to  descend  from  the  cart  upon  their 
arrival  at  their  place  of  execution;  and  they  are 
placed  in  such  a  manner  that  they  do  not  see  the 
sentence  performed  upon  their  fellow-sufferers.  On 
this  occasion,  it  was  otherwise.  The  situation  of  Sou 
brany  was  such  that  he  could  not  support  himself; 
and  Du  Roy  was  little  better:  and  they  therefore 
backed  the  cart  to  the  scaffold,  which  was  then  about 
upon  a  level  with  it,  that  those  who  were  unable  to  help 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  173 

themselves  might  be  the  more  easily  conducted  to  the 
machine.  In  this  situation,  Bourbotte  saw  the  opera 
tion  performed  upon  his  fellow-sufferers  without  an 
emotion.  The  two  first  had  lost  their  senses,  and 
were  laid  on  the  plank  without  a  motion  which 
showed  sensibility.  It  now  remained  for  us  to  see 
such  fortitude  as  has  not  been  witnessed  since  the 
revolution.  It  has  been  the  wonder  of  every  one, 
who  has  witnessed  the  executions  in  France,  to  see 
the  fortitude  displayed  almost  without  exception. 
The  high  pitch  of  enthusiasm  to  which  the  minds 
of  the  people  in  France  is  wound  up  will  carry  them 
through  any  suffering,  I  imagine,  provided  their  natu 
ral  strength  is  left  to  them ;  but  I  had  supposed,  that, 
when  that  was  destroyed,  this  noble  constancy  would 
forsake  them.  Bourbotte  was  a  strong  proof  to  the 
contrary.  His  wound  was  in  the  side ;  and  his  face 
bespoke,  by  its  paleness,  the  great  loss  of  blood  he  had 
suffered :  yet,  notwithstanding  this,  he  raised  himself 
from  the  cart,  and,  I  imagine,  requested  to  have  his 
hands  untied;  which  was  done.  He  looked  round 
upon  the  crowd  with  a  smile  upon  his  countenance, 
and  bowed  his  head  with  a  grace  which  spoke  the 
softness  of  his  manners.  His  voice  had  so  much 
failed  him  that  I  could  not  hear  what  he  said.  He 
was  not  tied  upon  the  plank,  but  simply  laid  down ; 
and  the  executioner  was  precipitating  his  head  under 
the  fatal  axe,  when,  to  the  astonishment  of  every  one, 
and  the  execration  of  the  butcher  who  was  thus  em 
ployed,  it  was  perceived  that  the  head  of  Bourbotte 
struck  the  top  of  the  axe,  which  had  not  been  raised, 


174  MEMOIR    OF 

as  is  common,  after  the  last  head  was  off.  The  prison 
er  was  therefore  raised  up  again  on  the  scaffold  while 
the  axe  was  placed.  He  still  smiled ;  and  it  was  not 
a  smile  of  annoyance,  but  of  complaisance ;  and  my 
friend  Mr.  Russell,  who  was  rather  nearer  to  the  stage 
than  I  was,  heard  him  say,  '  Farewell,  my  friends ! 
Long  live  the  Republic!'  After  which,  he  pushed 
down  the  collar  of  his  coat,  laid  himself  down  a 
second  time,  and,  in  a  second,  was  ushered  into  eter 
nity.  Never  was  there  more  fortitude  shown  than  on 
this  occasion;  and  the  manner  in  which  this  man 
died  convinces  me — although  it  is  the  general  opinion 
that  his  intention  was  to  make  a  revolution  in  the 
present  state  of  affairs,  and  of  course  he  deserved  the 
death  he  met  —  that  he  thought  himself  in  the  right, 
and  felt  a  conscious  rectitude,  which  supported  him  to 
this  great  degree  under  his  sufferings. 

"  18th.  —  Yesterday  afternoon,  I  left  Paris  to  pass 
Decadi  at  the  chateau  of  my  friend  Russell. 

"We  have  to-day  the  journal  of  yesterday  after 
noon,  which  tells  us  that  Romme,  Goujon,  and  Dus- 
quesnoy,  as  soon  as  they  were  remanded  to  the  prison, 
after  receiving  the  fatal  sentence,  stabbed  themselves 
to  the  heart,  and  died  instantaneously.  Bourbotte, 
Du  Roy,  and  Soubrany,  were  less  successful  in  their 
attempt  upon  their  lives.  Their  wounds  were  undoubt 
edly  mortal;  but  their  object  was  not  completed,  which 
was  to  avoid  dying  on  the  scaffold.  It  distresses  me 
to  learn  that  several  of  these  unfortunate  men  leave 
families.  As  soon  as  the  judge  had  pronounced  the 
sentence  of  death,  Goujon  handed  his  miniature  pic- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  175 

ture  to  him,  and  requested  that  it  might  be  given  to 
his  wife.  Dusquesnoy  also  gave  a  letter  to  the  judge, 
which  he  said  contained  his  last  adieu  to  his  wife  and 
other  friends,  and  observed  that  he  hoped  that  his  was 
the  last  innocent  blood  which  would  be  shed  in  the 
Republic.  '  May  it,'  said  he,  '  serve  to  consolidate 
the  Republic ! '  and  added,  '  Long  live  the  Repub 
lic  ! '  Bourbotte  said  to  the  commission,  that  it  was 
the  enemies  of  liberty  alone  who  had  wished  that  his 
blood  should  be  shed.  '  My  last  wish,  my  last  sigh,' 
said  he,  '  shall  be  for  my  country.'  All  those  who 
were  condemned  then  gave  their  pocket-books,  letters, 
and  a  number  of  other  articles,  to  the  judge,  for  their 
friends ;  after  which,  they  were  reconducted  to  prison, 
where  they  immediately  attempted  their  own  lives. 
Forestier  and  Peyssard  were  condemned,  —  the  first  to 
imprisonment,  and  the  second  to  transportation.  When 
the  prisoners  were  put  into  the  cart,  Du  Roy  burst 
forth  into  exclamations  against  those  around  them ; 
and,  among  other  things,  he  said,  '  Great  God !  were 
these  hands  made  to  be  tied  by  executioners  1  How 
unhappy  am  I,  to  have  failed  in  my  attempt  on  my 
life!'  Soubrany  breathed  a  wish  that  they  would 
leave  him  to  die.  Bourbotte  did  not  utter  a  sentence, 
but  looked  about  him  with  the  same  coolness  that  he 
had  preserved  during  his  trial.  It  is  a  pity  such  men 
could  not  have  died  in  a  better  cause.  There  seems 
to  be  no  doubt,  that,  had  they  succeeded  in  their  object 
on  the  1st  Prairial,  hundreds  must  have  gone  for  every 
one  at  this  time. 

"The  sisters  of  young  Goujon   demanded   admit- 


176  MEMOIR   OF 

tance  to  the  bar  of  the  Assembly,  but  were  refused. 
Their  object  undoubtedly  was  to  ask  the  life  of  their 
unfortunate  brother.  They  were  referred  to  the  Com 
mittee  of  Surete  Generate ;  and  I  did  not  hear  what 
answer  they  got  to  their  intercessions.  The  fact  is 
that  their  brother  was  dead  by  the  time  they  could 
have  got  to  the  committee.* 

*  To  those  who  do  not  remember  the  decisive  effect  of  this  execution,  which  extinguished 
Sans-culottism,  it  may  be  convenient  to  be  reminded  of  the  course  of  events  in  the  French 
revolution.  When  the  king  was  beheaded,  in  January,  1793,  the  party  in  the  ascendant  was 
that  of  the  Girondists,  aiming  at  the  total  subversion  of  monarchy  and  the  construction  of 
government  in  a  new  form,  but  showing  no  inclination  for  rapine  or  wanton  cruelty.  They 
were,  however,  unable  to  direct  the  storm  which  had  been  raised.  A  few  months  afterwards, 
they  were  overpowered  and  guillotined,  or  dispersed,  by  the  Sans-culottes,  or  the  party  called 
"  the  Mountain,"  of  whom  Robespierre  was  the  leader.  From  the  terrible  destruction  which 
followed,  the  time  while  he  was  in  power  was  denominated  "the  reign  of  terror."  It  ended 
in  July,  1794,  when  he  La  turn  was  guillotined,  chiefly  through  the  influence  of  those  who  had 
been  his  adherents.  They  found  that  he  was  planning  their  own  destruction,  as  his  jealousy 
had  led  him  to  effect  that  of  his  former  associate,  Danton.  They  were  not,  however,  averse 
to  his  sanguinary  measures:  they  meant  to  continue  them.  But  the  terror  was  over  as 
soon  as  his  death  was  announced.  The  executions  were  stopped,  and  most  of  those  in 
prison  released.  The  agitations  in  Paris  during  the  year  that  followed  were,  for  the  most 
part,  caused  by  the  struggles  of  "  the  Mountain"  to  regain  the  ascendency.  The  foregoing 
diary,  written  on  the  spot,  and  giving  the  daily  events  for  a  portion  of  that  year  as  they  trans 
pired,  may  be  useful  to  those  who  wish  to  inquire  further.  The  last  effort  of  the  party  was 
that  of  Bourbotte  and  his  associates.  Their  execution  was  followed  by  the  establishment  of 
the  Directory,  under  whose  auspices  Napoleon  soon  commenced  his  career.  It  is  to  be  regret 
ted  that  the  diary  was  not  continued  for  a  few  weeks  longer  in  Paris,  as  it  would  then  proba 
bly  have  contained  a  graphic  description  of  his  first  essay  there  with  the  mob,  on  the  13th 
Vendemiaire. 

The  following  statement  of  the  number  of  those  who  lost  their  lives  in  the  French  revolu 
tion  will  serve  to  meet  some  very  natural  inquiries  on  that  subject.  Precise  accuracy  is  hardly 
to  be  expected  in  such  a  case ;  but  this  has  been  cited  as  an  approximation  to  the  truth,  with 
the  remark,  however,  that  there  are  still  some  omissions  hi  it :  — 

Guillotined  by  sentence  of  the  Revolutionary  Tribunal :  — 

Nobles v 1,278 

Noblewomen 750 

Wives  of  laborers  and  artisans 1,467 

Religieuses 350 

Priests 1,135 

Common  persons,  not  noble 13,623 

18,603 

Women  died  of  premature  childbirth 3,400 

Women  died  in  childbirth  from  grief 348 

Women  killed  in  La  Vendee       ....  15,000 

Children  killed  in  La  Vendee 22000 

Men  slain  in  La  Vendee 900,000 

Victims  under  Carrier,  at  Nantes 


Victims  at  Lyons ...» 31,000 

1,022,351 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  177 

"We  have  this  day  the  melancholy  news  of  the 
death  of  that  brave  man  and  great  general,  Pichegru. 
The  paper  of  this  morning  announces  his  fall  on  the 
field  of  honor  before  Mayence.  France  could  not 
have  lost  a  braver  man,  or  a  better  friend  to  the  liber 
ty  of  his  country.  His  memory  will  never  die  in  the 
breast  of  any  one  who  admires  great  talents  and  tried 
virtue.  Every  one  speaks  with  affection  of  this  brave 
officer,  and  seems  ready  to  pay  to  his  memory  all 
possible  honors. 

"  Ten  o'clock  in  the  evening.  —  The  report  of  the 
death  of  Pichegru  is  officially  contradicted  by  the 
Committee  of  Public  Safety.  This  rejoices  every  heart; 

It  appears  from  this,  that  about  nine-tenths  of  those  who  perished  were  killed  in  the  civil 
war  of  La  Vendee.  The  number  of  nobles  beheaded  appears  small, — most  of  that  order 
having  fled  from  France.  It  has  been  supposed  that  the  atrocities  which  followed  are  in 
some  measure  to  be  attributed  to  this  general  emigration  of  the  noblesse,  —  there  being  no 
class  left  who  were  capable  of  withstanding  the  influence  and  outrages  of  demagogues ;  whereas 
if  more  of  them  had  remained  at  home,  as  had  been  the  case  with  the  nobility  of  England 
in  the  revolution  of  the  preceding  century,  although  there  might  have  been  as  great  loss  of 
life,  it  would  probably  have  been  in  warfare  rather  than  by  murder.  The  proportion  of  com 
mon  people,  artisans,  and  mechanics,  was  surprisingly  large  for  a  revolution  against  the  higher 
orders. 

Some  statements  that  have  been  made  of  the  whole  number  executed  in  Paris  appear  in 
credibly  small,  after  the  terrible  exhibitions  there,  unless  it  be  remembered  that  the  duration 
of  the  reign  of  terror  was  little  more  than  a  year ;  that  there  was  but  one  place  of  execution 
there  at  a  time,  with  but  one  guillotine  for  the  city ;  and  that  one  exhibition  daily  was  suffi 
cient  in  most  cases,  probably,  to  satisfy  the  desire  for  the  sight  of  blood;  though,  being 
described  by  hundreds  of  witnesses,  it  might  be  so  reported  as  to  be  mistaken  for  several  occur 
rences  of  the  same  kind,  and  to  represent  tenfold  the  actual  numbers. 

Estimates  have  been  made,  for  comparison,  in  regard  to  number,  to  cruelty  in  execution, 
and  extensive  consequences  to  relatives,  between  the  victims  in  the  revolution  and  the  Hugue 
nots  destroyed  in  the  massacre  of  St.  Bartholomew's  under  Charles  IX.,  the  latter  being  vari 
ously  rated  at  thirty  thousand  up  to  one  hundred  thousand  or  more.  With  great  uncertainty 
in  results,  enough  is  ascertained  to  show  that  the  spirit  of  bigotry,  whether  stirred  in  support 
of  dogmas  under  the  gospel  of  charity  and  peace,  of  despotic  power,  or  of  unlicensed  freedom, 
can  easily  justify  itself,  in  its  own  view,  for  the  use  of  torture  and  murder  as  its  weapons, 
without  regard  to  age  or  sex,  and  without  limit  in  number. 

The  remarks  on  the  former  mode  of  agriculture  in  France  that  have  been  given  in  the 
foregoing  pages  suggest  some  interesting  comparisons  with  the  present  state  of  things.  For  a 
hundred  thousand  land-holders  there  before  the  revolution,  there  are  now  several  millions. 
An  English  writer  has  spoken  of  the  whole  product  of  the  country  as  greatly  diminished  by 

23 


178  MEMOIR   OF 

and  joy  takes  the  place  of  grief,  with  which  every  one 
was  affected  after  hearing  this  morning's  report. 

"  The  Commission  of  Twenty-one,  who  were  ap 
pointed  to  examine  the  charges  of  accusation  against 
Joseph  Lebon,  have  reported  to  the  Convention,  that, 
after  examining  two  thousand  nine  hundred  charges 
and  vindications  concerning  the  said  Joseph,  they  are  of 
unanimous  opinion  that  there  is  reason  of  accusation 
against  him.  For  the  credit  of  human  nature,  I  am 
happy  to  hear  that  there  is  no  support  to  the  charge 
which  has  been  reported  against  this  man,  —  of  his 
having  made  the  prostitution  of  a  wife  the  price  of  a 
pardon  for  the  husband,  and  caused  him  to  be  exe 
cuted,  after  all,  in  her  presence.*  It  is  wished  that 


the  subdivision  of  property  in  land  that  has  followed  the  radical  change  in  the  laws  of  inheri 
tance,  which  he  thinks  is  shown  hy  the  falling  off  La  exports.  The  late  Mr.  Colman,  who 
went  from  Boston  to  write  agricultural  reports  from  Europe,  gave  it  as  the  result  of  his  obser 
vation,  after  witnessing  the  wretchedness  of  the  agricultural  population  in  England,  that  this 
general  division  had  produced  the  happiest  effect  hi  France.  It  seems  probable  that  the  fall 
ing  off  indicated  by  commercial  returns  may  be  fully  accounted  for  by  the  fact,  that  the  laborer, 
having  now  a  larger  share  hi  the  product  of  the  soil,  instead  of  being  fed  on  those  parts  of  it 
which  are  not  fit  for  export,  retains  the  better  portion  for  his  own  use.  In  reference  to  errors 
arising  from  false  deductions  in  statistics,  it  was  recently  urged  with  great  force  by  a  distin 
guished  savant,  before  the  French  Academy,  that  France  affords  a  striking  instance  of  this 
nature,  not  being  herself  a  commercial  country,  and  her  exports  having  rather  declined  from 
causes  that  have  vastly  increased  and  diffused  her  internal  wealth.  The  result  of  the  appli 
cation  for  a  public  loan  there  is  a  striking  fact  in  this  connection.  It  was  all  readily  furnished, 
and  chiefly  in  small  sums ;  thousands  joining  in  it,  and  becoming  creditors  of  the  government, 
who,  but  for  that  division,  would  doubtless  be  inhabitants  of  those  miserable  villages  described 
in  the  text  as  appendant  to  the  chateaux,  and  barely  subsisting  on  the  rebut,  or,  as  we  should 
call  it,  the  refuse,  of  the  harvest. 

It  was  sagaciously  remarked  by  a  distinguished  clergyman,  in  reference  to  the  late 
renewal  and  failure  of  the  attempt  at  a  republic,  that  a  century  at  least  must  elapse,  with 
frequent  political  convulsions,  before  it  can  be  expected  that  the  great  changes  caused  by  the 
revolution  shall  have  had  their  full  effect,  and  France  shall  settle  tranquilly  down  under  the 
system  of  government  that  will  be  found  best  suited  to  the  change  of  habits  in  her  people. 

*  In  a  former  part  of  the  diary,  this  conduct,  in  all  its  atrocity,  is  imputed  to  Lebon; 
and  the  admission  here  made,  when  his  trial  was  approaching  and  he  was  abandoned  to  his 
fate,  that  the  imputation  could  not  be  sustained,  carries  with  it  some  historical  interest,  be 
cause  the  same  charge  against  this  man  has  recently  been  renewed  in  Alison's  "  History  of 
Europe." 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  179 

his  execution  may  be  at  Arras.  I  find  I  speak  of 
execution  before  the  man  is  tried:  it  is  as  certain 
in  my  mind  as  his  trial.  Arras  was  the  seat  of 
the  greatest  of  this  man's  villanies.  Upwards  of  a 
hundred  persons  fell  here  during  his  reign;  and  a 
visit  to  Cambrai,  which  is  at  about  eight  leagues'  dis 
tance,  cost  that  ill-fated  city  two  hundred  and  sixteen 
of  its  best  citizens.  Whole  streets  cry  for  the  blood 
of  Lebon,  and  cry  aloud.* 

"  25th.  —  Dull  weather.  The  committee  chosen  to 
frame  a  constitution  for  this  Republic  made  their  report 
yesterday.  Boissy  d'Anglas  read  the  report;  which 
was  much  approved  of,  and  promises  to  put  the 
country,  which  has  been  so  torn  up  by  the  roots  by 
dissensions  of  every  kind,  under  a  lasting  and  good 
government.  The  principles  are  much  the  same  as 
those  upon  which  our  government  is  founded.  The 
executive,  however,  is  vested  in  five,  in  lieu  of  one  as 
with  us ;  and,  as  it  appears,  has  nothing  to  do  with 
the  deliberations  of  the  Senate  and  House  of  Repre 
sentatives,  or,  as  they  are  called  here,  the  Council  of 
the  Ancients  and  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred. 
They  have  no  negative  upon  their  decrees;  nor  is 
it  necessary  to  have  any  other  confirmation  of  the 
laws  proposed  by  the  Council  of  Five  Hundred  than 
that  of  the  Council  of  the  Ancients. 

*  Lebon  was  condemned,  but  not  executed.  He  seems  to  have  maintained,  with  some 
effect,  that  he  could  show  authority  for  what  he  had  done  from  those  who  were  allowed  to  act 
in  the  name  of  the  Convention.  He  is  said  even  to  have  been  severely  reproached  at  first  for 
moderation,  and  to  have  advanced  rather  slowly  to  the  frightful  excess  of  his  cruelty.  When 
the  red  shirt  was  brought  him,  as  the  signal  for  execution,  he  desired  that  it  might  be  taken 
to  the  National  Convention,  who  deserved  it  even  more  than  he ;  and  the  writer  who  prepared 
a  notice  of  his  life  appears  to  think  that,  so  far,  he  was  nearly  right.  He  escaped  under  the 
decree  of  amnesty  which  followed  soon  after. 


180  MEMOIR    OF 

"  The  Executive  Council  has  the  same  powers  as  the 
present  Committee  of  Salut  Public.  They  are  to  have 
respectable  guards,  and  to  live  in  a  style  equal  to 
what  is  expected  from  the  executive  of  a  great  nation. 
I  should  have  liked  it  still  better  if  the  Council  of 
Five  had  been  vested  with  the  negative  which  the 
President  of  the  United  States  has.  That  it  may  an 
swer  the  most  sanguine  expectations  of  the  warmest 
friends  of  the  Republic,  is  my  heartfelt  wish. 

"  7th.  —  This  morning,  about  eight  o'clock,  left 
Paris  in  a  coach,  in  company  with  Mr.  Pearsall  and 
Mr.  Sands,  on  a  visit  to  Chantilly. 

"  8th.  —  At  eleven  o'clock,  left  Chantilly  by  a 
cross-road,  to  go  to  Ermenonville,  which  was  the  last 
residence  of  J.  J.  Rousseau,  and  the  place  where,  at 
his  request,  he  was  laid  after  his  decease. 

"  The  road  from  Chantilly  to  Ermenonville  is  princi 
pally  through  the  woods  which  composed  the  park  of 
the  Prince  de  Conde,  and  is  as  pleasant  a  ride  as  can 
be  wished.  The  road  is  in  some  places  bad,  the  soil 
being  poor ;  and,,  for  a  considerable  distance,  the  sand 
is  as  deep  as  on  Cape  Cod  in  America.  We  had  six 
horses;  and  therefore  had  not  much  difficulty  in 
getting  along,  though  we  were  longer  in  going  than 
we  expected.  The  distance  is  five  leagues  from  Chan 
tilly,  and  the  same  from  Paris  as  from  this  castle. 
We  arrived  at  Ermenonville  at  two  o'clock.  What 
makes  this  place  particularly  interesting  is  its  having 
seen  the  last  days  of  this  celebrated  man.  The  village 
is  very  small,  and  miserably  poor.  The  chateau  is  now 
the  property  of  the  Marquis  de  Girardin,  who  was  the 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  181 

particular  patron  of  Rousseau,  and  whose  bounties  he 
shared  until  his  death.  The  chdteau  is  a  Gothic  build 
ing,  and  has  nothing  in  itself  to  attract  attention  but 
its  situation,  which  is  charming.  It  was  one  of  the 
hunting-places  of  Henry  IV.  and,  from  its  contiguity 
to  a  very  extensive  wood,  was  well  situated  for  the 
purpose. 

"  We  no  sooner  arrived  than  a  book  was  offered  for 
sale,  with  representations  of  the  place  in  twenty-five 
cuts.  They  are  well  done,  and  are  very  serviceable 
to  one  going  over  the  grounds,  as  they  point  out  the 
most  remarkable  things,  some  of  which  might  pass 
unnoticed  without  it.  A  part  of  the  waters  which 
make  one  of  the  beauties  of  this  place  are  cut  off; 
and  the  Island  of  Poplars,  as  it  is  described,  has  now 
no  water  about  it,  and  therefore  loses  a  part  of  its 
beauty. 

"  The  day  has  been  remarkably  fine ;  and  we  saw 
this  delightful  place  under  every  possible  advantage. 
Romance  cannot  picture  any  thing  more  attractive 
than  Nature  and  Art  combined  have  produced  here. 
The  grounds  are  well  situated  for  the  kind  of  im 
provements  which  have  been  made ;  and  the  united 
taste  of  Rousseau  and  Girardin  has  taken  advantage 
of  them.  If  there  is  a  grot  or  a  winding  stream, 
you  would  say  the  hand  of  Nature,  not  Art,  had 
placed  them  there ;  and  the  disposition  of  every  thing 
is  as  near  the  works  of  that  goddess  as  possible. 
The  useful  and  the  agreeable  are  wonderfully  united. 
The  extent  of  the  grounds  is  about  eight  hundred 
acres ;  and  you  can  walk  over  no  part  of  it  which  is 
not  extremely  pleasant  and  interesting. 


182  MEMOIR   OF 

"  A  melancholy  event  took  place  here  a  few  years 
since,  which  is  not  mentioned  in  the  book  I  pur 
chased,  and  therefore  I  shall  note  it.  In  keeping 
this  memorandum-book,  my  object  is  not  to  describe 
the  places  I  see,  but  merely  to  mention  my  having 
seen  them,  that  I  may  have  my  recollection  refreshed 
at  a  future  day,  and  have  it  in  my  power  to  point  out 
to  those  of  my  immediate  connection  such  places  as 
in  my  opinion  may  be  worth  their  attention.  I  there 
fore  do  not  pretend  to  particularize  what  those  who 
go  over  the  same  places  would  have  an  opportunity  of 
seeing,  but  merely  what  may  have  fallen  in  my  way 
by  accident,  and  what,  without  a  note,  might  escape 
them.  It  was  the  custom  of  M.  Girardin  to  request 
the  names  of  those  persons  who  visited  his  grounds, 
that,  in  case  any  person  of  distinction  was  at  Erme- 
nonville,  he  might  have  an  opportunity  of  showing 
him  civilities  which  he  would  not  otherwise  receive  ; 
therefore  the  conductor  was  always  ordered  to  ask 
the  name  and  quality  of  those  whom  he  was  about  to 
take  over  the  place,  and  report  them  to  the  marquis. 
A  gentleman,  whose  appearance  was  very  much  that  of 
a  person  of  distinction,  wishing  to  see  the  place,  the 
man  whose  business  it  was  to  show  the  grounds  asked 
him  his  name,  condition,  &c.  He  answered,  that  he 
was  without  fortune,  title,  or  name;  and  therefore 
requested  that  he  might  be  excused  from  waiting  on 
Monsieur  Girardin,  who,  from  his  appearance,  had 
been  led  to  suppose  he  was  a  person  of  some  note, 
and  had  therefore  desired  to  offer  him  some  atten 
tion.  He  walked  over  every  part  of  the  gardens  and 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  183 

woods,  and  passed  several  hours  in  contemplating  the 
beauties  of  the  place.  He  then  returned  to  the  house, 
and  took  his  leave.  Four  days  afterwards,  he  returned 
to  Ermenonville,  and  retired  to  a  very  romantic  spot 
in  the  woods,  where  he  ended  his  days  with  a  pistol. 
He  left  in  his  pocket  a  note  to  M.  Girardin,  begging 
his  forgiveness  for  the  outrage  he  had  committed  upon 
his  territory,  but  not  mentioning  the  cause  of  it.  The 
man  who  told  me  the  story  was  the  person  who  was 
with  him  the  first  time  in  the  wood,  and  who  has 
indeed,  for  twenty  years,  filled  the  same  office  he 
now  does.  He  represents  him  as  being  about  thirty 
years  of  age,  and  of  a  beautiful  and  engaging  appear 
ance.  He  spoke  French  well,  though  he  was  not  a 
native  of  this  country,  but  had  more  the  appearance 
of  being  an  Englishman  than  of  any  other  nation ; 
and,  from  his  end,  I  think  it  quite  probable  he  was  so. 
It  is  rather  singular  that  they  could  never  trace  the 
place  he  came  from,  and  to  this  day  are  uninformed 
as  to  every  other  circumstance  respecting  him  save  his 
exit.  M.  Girardin  has  raised  a  very  decent  stone 
to  mark  the  place  where  he  lies,  with  this  inscription, 
which  I  copied  on  the  spot :  — 

«4  Juin,  1791. 

Helas,  pauvre  inconim  !  si  tu  tiens  de  1' amour 
Tine  obscure  naissance  et  ta  noble  figure, 
Devois-tu,  dans  ces  lieux,  outrager  la  nature 
Coimne  un  autre  Werther,  en  t'y  privant  du  jour  ? ' 

"As  it  was  the  particular  wish  of  M.  Rousseau 
that  his  remains  should  rest  where  he  had  passed  so 
many  pleasant  hours,  it  seems  an  outrage  upon  his 


184  MEMOIR    OF 

ashes  to  take  them  from  the  place  where  they  repdsed, 
even  to  do  them  the  honors  of  the  Pantheon,  where 
they  now  are,  particularly  as  he  is  laid  beside  Voltaire, 
with  whom  he  was  on  very  bad  terms,  and  between 
whom  and  himself  there  was  no  love  lost.  The  monu 
ment  which  held  this  remarkable  man  still  remains 
in  the  Island  of  Poplars.  The  only  inscription  which 
was  marked  on  the  stone  before  the  remains  of  Rous 
seau  were  removed  was  — 

« Ici  repose  1'homme  de  la  nature  et  de  la  verite.' 

It  is  now  changed  to  — 

'  Ici  reposa  1'homme  de  la  nature  et  de  la  v6rite.' 

"  I  never  remember  to  have  been  more  highly  grati 
fied  than  on  this  day.  From  what  I  had  heard  of  the 
place  from  some  countrymen  of  mine  who  had  visited 
it  a  few  days  before,  I  was  not  in  the  expectation  of 
being  much  pleased,  and,  perhaps  from  the  disap 
pointment,  enjoyed  it  the  more. 

"  The  water,  woods,  the  vast  number  of  beautiful 
poplars,  and  indeed  every  thing,  serve  to  make  it  as 
romantic  as  one  can  imagine.  We  passed  four  hours 
at  this  place,  and  then  set  off  for  Paris.  The  ride 
through  the  park  is  fine,  and  indeed  very  interest 
ing  quite  to  Louvres,  where  we  arrived  about  eight 
o'clock;  and,  finding  we  could  not  get  post-horses 
that  night,  we  made  the  best  of  it,  and  quietly  went 
to  rest. 

'  We  felt  much  gratified  by  our  tour,  and  recom 
mend  every  one  who  has  a  little  spare  time  to  make 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  185 

the  same.  M.  Girardin  still  resides  at  Ermenonville, 
though  he  did  not  happen  to  be  there  when  we  visited 
his  place.  He  was  under  arrest  in  the  reign  of  terror; 
and  would  probably  have  shared  the  same  fate  with 
thousands  of  innocent  persons,  had  Robespierre  lived 
longer.  Upon  his  exit,  M.  Girardin  was  liberated. 
He  has  the  character  of  a  very  benevolent  man, 
and  is  said  to  be  much  beloved  by  the  village.  He 
had  built  a  house  on  purpose  for  Rousseau,  which  he 
never  inhabited.  He  lived  and  died  in  a  building 
contiguous  to  the  chateau. 

"Rousseau  died  in  1778.  His  wife  is  still  living 
in  the  neighborhood;  but,  as  she  and  her  husband 
were  not  on  good  terms  for  years  before  his  death,  she 
is  not  taken  any  notice  of  by  M.  Girardin.  As  every 
one  loved  her  husband,  it  is  not  unnatural  that  her 
ill  conduct  towards  him  should  have  caused  her 
enemies." 

The  diary  is  continued  in  England;  and  in  these 
times,  when  travellers  approach  London  and  leave  it 
by  railroads,  it  may  be  a  curiosity  to  see  the  remarks 
of  a  traveller  made  at  the  time  when  it  was  necessary 
to  prepare  for  an  attack  of  highwaymen,  if  crossing 
Blackheath  in  a  post-chaise  after  dark ;  and  when  it 
took  the  better  part  of  a  day,  on  leaving  London,  to 
go  fifty-five  miles  to  Oxford.  Mr.  Perkins  was  never 
robbed  in  England ;  but  he  avoided  it  one  night  by 
threatening  to  shoot  the  driver,  who  seemed  to  linger, 
and,  as  was  afterwards  ascertained,  was  in  league  with 
some  "  gentlemen  of  the  ro'ad." 

24 


186  MEMOIR   OF 

"  26th  July,  1794.  —  This  morning,  I  left  Paris  for 
Havre  de  Grace,  with  a  light  heart  at  the  idea  of  once 
more  bending  my  course  towards  my  native  country. 

"  27th.  —  This  day  is  the  anniversary  of  the  over 
throw  of  Robespierre  and  his  party,  and  is  ordered  to 
be  celebrated  throughout  the  Republic  as  a/£fe.  The 
Convention  is  to  be  dressed  in  its  robes,  and  an  oration 
to  be  delivered.  We  have  seen  no  parade  on  the  road 
on  account  of  the  day. 

"28th. — We  find  the  packet,  which  is  to  take 
us  across  the  Channel,  will  not  sail  until  two  days 
hence. 

"  I  have  taken  a  very  general  survey  of  Havre  de 
Grace  and  its  harbor  and  basins  this  day,  and  find 
the  latter  very  well  worthy  of  attention.  The  city  of 
Havre  is  built  principally  of  stone  and  brick ;  and 
the  houses  covered  more  with  slate  than  tile,  as  in 
other  towns  in  France.  The  streets  are  tolerably 
regular,  but  narrow  and  dirty  in  the  extreme.  The 
situation  of  this  place  for  business  is  excellent :  with 
in  twelve  hours'  sail  of  England,  and  so  near  the  sea, 
with  the  advantage  of  being  the  port  through  which 
Rouen  and  Paris,  with  all  the  manufacturing  towns 
in  their  neighborhood,  must  be  supplied,  —  advan 
tages  which  are  but  rarely  combined.  The  town  is 
much  smaller  than  I  had  imagined,  —  containing  but 
about  eighteen  thousand  inhabitants.  The  basins, 
which  have  been  dug  out  for  the  admission  of  ship 
ping,  are  competent  to  contain  several  hundred 
vessels ;  and  they  are  now  at  work  upon  another, 
larger  than  the  two  at  present  in  use,  and  which  I 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  187 

am  told  will,  when  complete,  contain  five  hundred 
sail  of  vessels.  They  are  all  lined  with  brown  stone ; 
and  vessels  of  a  thousand  tons  lie  afloat  constantly. 
They  are  extremely  severe  as  to  the  execution  of  the 
laws  to  be  observed  in  this  harbor,  or  dock,  respecting 
fires  and  candles  ;  which  is  undoubtedly  very  neces 
sary,  as  the  consequence  would  be  fatal  to  most  of 
the  fleet,  should  one  vessel  take  fire.  There  are  two 
frigates  now  lying  in  the  basins,  fitting  for  a  cruise. 

"  Before  the  war,  there  was  a  large  number  of  ves 
sels  engaged  in  the  Guinea  trade  from  this  place. 
This,  and  indeed  all  other  navigation  belonging  to 
the  inhabitants,  is  at  an  end,  excepting  that  with  neu 
trals,  which  is  considerable. 

"  29th.  —  The  captain  who  is  to  take  us  over  is  not 
yet  ready  to  sail ;  and  I  must  murder  this,  and  I  fear 
another,  day  here. 

"  I  forgot  to  mention  a  peculiarity  in  the  dress  of 
the  women's  heads,  which  strikes  a  stranger  as  very 
odd.  The  head-dress  consists  of  a  cap,  of  which  the 
fore  part  is  drawn  closely  over  the  fore  part  of  the 
head,  and  only  shows  the  lower  part  of  the  hair  on 
the  forehead,  which  is  smoothed  down  with  pomatum 
as  close  as  possible.  The  cap  is  made  of  muslin,  and 
runs  up  to  a  peak ;  which  in  some  instances  is,  I  am 
sure,  half  a  yard  high.  From  this  peak  are  pendent 
two  lappets,  extending  to  the  shoulder;  which  alto 
gether  form  a  very  curious,  and  to  my  mind  a  very 
ridiculous,  dress. 

"August  1st,  Margate.  —  We  made  the  land  last 
evening  about  six  o'clock,  and  saw  an  immense  fleet 


188  MEMOIR    OF 

of  vessels  passing  and  repassing.  We  were  shown  to 
a  very  elegant  hotel,  where  we  breakfasted ;  and,  at 
eleven  o'clock,  jumped  into  a  post-chaise  for  London. 

"  2d.  —  The  difference  between  travelling  in  France 
and  England  is  very  striking.  Bad  horses,  and  still 
more  badly  harnessed ;  a  ragged  postilion,  with  a  pair 
of  jack-boots  of  about  his  own  weight ;  wretched 
inns,  if  they  deserve  that  name  at  all ;  and  unac 
commodating  post-masters  and  inn-keepers,  we  have 
changed  for  horses  that  would  grace  the  carriage  of 
any  one ;  a  postilion  neatly  dressed  and  complaisant  ; 
inns  where  one  can  be  as  well  accommodated  as  possi 
ble,  and  half  a  dozen  powdered  beaux  to  receive  you 
when  you  alight  from  your  carriage.  These  items,  to 
say  nothing  of  a  difference  in  point  of  price  of  about 
one  hundred  per  cent,  make  up  this  difference.  The 
roads,  though  not  paved  as  in  France,  are  remarkably 
good,  and  only  want  width  to  make  them  excellent. 
The  number  of  carriages  we  met  upon  the  road  this 
day  is  surprising,  and  speaks  the  luxury  of  the  inhabi 
tants  of  the  country.  The  country  through  which 
we  have  passed  is  admirably  fine,  and  under  high 
cultivation.  The  hedge  fences  which  separate  the- 
grounds  are  highly  ornamental,  and  serve  very  much 
to  beautify  the  country. 

On  our  arrival  at  Dartford,  we  did  not  feel  alto 
gether  satisfied  with  taking  with  us  what  articles  of 
value  we  were  possessed  of;  and  therefore  made  up  a 
package,  and  sent  them  by  the  mail-coach.  There 
are  but  few  post-chaises  that  take  the  risk  of  crossing 
Blackheath  after  dark,  particularly  if  not  armed; 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  189 

but  we  were  anxious  to  get  to  town,  and  therefore 
undertook  it,  and  happily  passed  Shooter's  Hill  and 
Blackheath  without  any  interruption ;  and,  at  twelve 
o'clock,  were  set  down  at  the  London  Coffee  House, 
Ludgate  Hill 

"  12th.  —  To-day,  fell  in  with  a  number  of  gentle 
men  who  were  going  to  visit  Newgate  ;  and,  as  I  had 
a  curiosity  to  gratify  as  well  as  they,  I  was  admitted 
as  one  of  the  party.  Our  introduction  was  through 
the  sheriff;  and  without  this,  or  an  acquaintance 
with  the  superintendent,  it  is  difficult  to  get  a  view  of 
this  celebrated  prison.  To  look  at  the  walls  of  New 
gate,  one  would  suppose  it  was  capable  of  standing 
a  regular  siege ;  but  experience  proves  to  us  that  a 
London  mob  is  capable  of  overcoming  the  enormous 
strength  even  of  this  place,  which  was  attacked  at  the 
time  of  the  Gordon  riots,  and  every  part  of  the  inte 
rior  which  was  combustible  was  set  on  fire,  and  con 
sumed. 

"  The  overseer  of  Newgate  at  this  time  is  a  man  of 
much  respectability,  and  appears  to  be  as  humane  a 
being  as  is  generally  to  be  met  with ;  and  there  was 
not  a  prisoner  whose  rooms  we  visited  whose  eyes  did 
not  bless  him  as  he  passed.  There  are  as  many  as 
eight  different  yards  within  the  walls  of  the  prison, 
where  the  prisoners  can  walk ;  but,  as  it  would  not 
do  to  let  them  mix  together,  the'y  are  there  separated 
in  the  day  by  walls  of  an  immense  height,  and  at 
night  locked  in  their  several  rooms.  This  amelioration 
of  the  lot  of  misery  of  those  whose  misfortunes  have 
placed  them  there  has  taken  place  within  a  few  years ; 


190  MEMOIR    OF 

and  the  police  of  the  prison  is  now  in  conformity 
with  the  recommendations  of  the  philanthropic  Dr. 
Howard.  The  cleanliness  of  every  apartment  is  very 
striking. 

"After  we  had  visited  the  several  parts  of  the  felons' 
departments,  and  also  those  of  debtors  of  a  certain 
class,  we  were  introduced  to  the  chamber  of  a  Mr. 
Lloyd,  who,  in  the  year  1793,  was  charged  and  con 
victed  of  a  seditious  libel  against  the  king  and  consti 
tution  of  England,  and  condemned  to  an  hour's  exposi 
tion  in  the  pillory,  three  years'  imprisonment,  and  to 
find  sureties  for  his  good  behavior  for  five  years  for  one 
thousand  pounds.  He  has  about  six  months  still  to 
suffer ;  which,  in  comparison  with  what  he  has  under 
gone,  seems  but  a  short  time.  He  calls  himself  an 
American ;  and  though  he  is  not  so  by  birth,  yet  he  is 
truly  so  by  residence,  having  taken  the  oaths  necessary 
to  qualify  him  as  such.  He  complains  loudly  of  our 
government  not  having  interfered  for  him;  but  cannot, 
in  my  opinion,  reasonably  expect  it.  When  a  man 
will  live  under  a  government  which  he  does  not  call 
his  own,  of  which  he  pays  not  for  the  support,  and 
has  nothing  to  do  with  except  to  receive  its  protec 
tion  from  violence,  he  ought,  most  certainly,  not  to 
make  himself  busy  with  what  he  thinks  the  weak 
parts  of  it.  It  is  enough  for  those  who  live  under 
the  government  as  citizens  to  find  fault  in  public; 
and  Mr.  Lloyd's  fate,  though  a  hard  one,  he  very 
richly  deserved,  in  my  opinion. 

"  The  celebrated  Major  Semple  we  also  saw.  He  is 
now  under  sentence  of  transportation  to  Botany  Bay 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  191 

for  seven  years.  This  extraordinary  man  was  in 
America  three  years  of  the  last  war,  and  was  wound 
ed  in  the  engagement  of  Bunker's  Hill.  Being  en 
tirely  disabled  by  a  ball  in  his  groin,  he  returned  to 
this  country  in  1778,  and  since  that  period  has 
lived  by  his  talents,  by  which,  had  they  been  turned 
to  virtue  instead  of  vice,  he  might  have  become  one 
of  the  brightest  gems  of  society.  His  understand 
ing  is  very  much  refined  and  cultivated  in  various 
branches  of  literature ;  and  his  appearance  and  man 
ners  are  those  of  a  perfect  gentleman,  and  give  him 
great  advantages  in  deceiving  those  he  may  have  a 
design  upon.  His  principal  crime  has  been  swin 
dling,  of  which  he  was  master  to  as  great  a  degree  as 
was  ever  known.  One  pleasant  story  is  told  of  him ; 
and  I  am  afraid  it  is  a  fact.  Being  at  two  hundred 
miles'  distance  from  London,  and  very  anxious  to  get 
there,  where  his  talents  were  at  the  best  market,  he 
pitched  upon  a  mode  which  succeeded  to  a  charm. 
Having  accidentally  heard  that  a  gentleman,  who 
was  at  a  neighboring  tavern,  was  about  to  set  off  for 
London  alone,  he  threw  himself  in  his  way,  and  was 
cursing  his  ill  stars  that  he  was  under  the  necessity 
of  taking  a  journey  of  two  hundred  miles  alone  in  a 
solitary  post-chaise.  The  gentleman  immediately  in 
quired  which  way  his  route  lay ;  when  he  informed 
him  that  he  was  going  to  London.  The  other  said  he 
esteemed  himself  very  fortunate  in  having  met  him ; 
for  he  was  about  to  take  the  same  journey,  and  should 
have  been  under  the  necessity  of  going  alone,  if  his 
good  fortune  had  not  thrown  a  companion  in  his 


MEMOIR    OF 


way.  When  they  arrived  at  the  first  post-house, 
Semple  was  going  to  pay  his  half  the  post-hire  ;  but, 
returning  his  money  to  his  pocket,  observed  that  it 
was  best  that  one  should  pay  the  whole  of  the  ex 
pense,  and  that  he  would  discharge  his  half  upon 
their  arrival  at  London.  This  was  readily  assented 
to.  Semple  called  for  the  best  the  houses  on  the 
road  afforded;  and,  upon  their  arrival  in  London, 
they  drove  to  a  tavern,  and  were  to  settle  their  ac 
counts  in  the  morning  ;  but,  to  the  surprise  and  con 
fusion  of  the  dupe,  Mr.  Semple  had  taken  himself  off, 
and  left  him  to  put  up  with  the  loss  of  his  money, 
and  the  reflection  of  having  travelled  as  the  friend  of 
a  man  of  this  description.  A  few  weeks  after  this 
elopement,  Semple  called  upon  the  gentleman  whom 
he  had  thus  injured,  and  apologized  to  him  by  saying 
that  he  Was  without  a  farthing  ;  that  his  good  stars 
had  not  smiled  upon  him  since,  for  that  he  was  now 
penniless:  and  he  finished  by  requesting  the  loan 
of  five  guineas  ;  which  was  given  him  for  his  inge 
nuity.  The  appearance  of  Semple  warrants  this 
story;  and  I  am  convinced  I  should  have  fallen  a 
sacrifice  to  him  in  the  same  way,  under  similar  cir 
cumstances. 

"  The  crime  for  which  he  is  now  to  be  transported 
is  for  borrowing  a  shirt  under  some  feigned  name, 
and  not  returning  it.  This  would  not  have  sent  him 
out  of  the  country,  had  he  not  been  before  transported. 
I  am  told  he  is  very  eloquent  in  his  defence,  and 
astonishes  all  who  see  and  hear  him.  His  age  I 
should  suppose  forty,  and  his  general  appearance  as 
much  that  of  a  gentleman  as  can  be  imagined. 


THOMAS    HAND  AS  YD    PERKINS.  193 

"  Among  others,  we  had  pointed  out  to  us  a  man 
who  has  had  the  epithet  of  savage  affixed  to  him  for 
his  peculiar  malice  of  disposition.  He,  for  some  time 
before  his  detection,  stabbed  women  in  the  street 
with  a  knife  he  had  made  for  the  purpose.  His 
habit  was  to  get  into  a  crowd,  and  then  cut  them 
across  the  hands  or  bosom;  and  his  object  seemed 
no  other  than  to  injure  their  persons,  as  no  attempt 
was  made  to  take  their  property.  What  his  fate  is  I 
know  not ;  what  he  merits  I  can  conceive. 

"  I  was  the  other  day  informed  of  a  fact  I  had  little 
idea  of;  which  is,  that  the  horses  in  England  consume 
nearly  half  the  whole  produce  of  the  soil.  This,  at 
first  blush,  will  appear  incredible  ;  but,  when  it  is 
known  that  there  is  a  horse  to  every  six  persons  in 
the  kingdom,  this  astonishment  will  decrease.  It  is 
said  that  the  three  kingdoms  of  England,  Ireland,  and 
Scotland,  contain  twelve  millions  of  souls;  of  which 
England  numbers  seven,  Ireland  three,  and  Scotland 
two  ;  so  that  England  must,  according  to  the  calcula 
tion  above,  contain  1,166,666  horses.  And,  as  the 
estimation  is  that  a  horse  will  consume  as  much  as 
six  persons  (of  all  ages),  the  assertion  above,  that  the 
horses  eat  one-half  of  the  produce  of  the  earth,  will 
appear  undoubted.  There  have  been  several  attempts 
to  reduce  the  number,  and  horses  are  taxed  very  high  ; 
but  the  wealth  of  those  who  possess  them  is  sufficient 
to  surmount  this  difficulty.  The  tax  upon  a  single 
horse  is  light ;  that  upon  two,  higher ;  and  it  ad 
vances  to  a  considerable  sum  upon  the  eighth  or 
tenth  horse.  The  number  of  horses  which  are  daily 

25 


194  MEMOIR    OF 

seen  in  London  is  almost  incredible.  I  have  observed 
some  of  the  town-carts  numbered  as  high  as  fifty-seven 
thousand ;  and  I  am  told  they  amount  to  sixty  thou 
sand.  There  are  also  twelve  hundred  hackney-coaches 
always  on  the  stands  in  and  about  London.  These 
make  but  an  inconsiderable  part  of  the  number  of 
horses  belonging  to  private  persons,  public  post-chaises, 
mail  and  stage  coaches,  riding-horses,  &c.  Besides 
the  numbered  carts,  there  are  thousands  not  num 
bered  ;  and  the  immense  number  of  brewers'  carts  is 
not  included.  In  some  of  the  great  avenues,  the 
number  of  carriages  is  sometimes  so  great  that  one 
cannot  cross  the  street  for  a  long  time  together. 

"  There  is,  perhaps,  no  place  where  a  man  may 
travel  more  at  his  ease  than  in  England,  or  where 
he  will  pay  more  heavily  for  it.  There  is  no  part  of 
the  country  a  man  can  be  in  where  he  cannot  have  a 
post-chaise,  for  any  distance,  in  five  minutes  from  the 
time  he  calls  for  it ;  and  the  despatch  in  going  over 
the  ground  is  as  great  as  in  preparing  for  it.  Eight 
miles  is  the  rate  at  which  they  commonly  drive ;  but 
they  will,  for  a  sixpence,  add  two  more  to  it 

"  13th.  —  I  yesterday  dined  with  Mr.  Deas,  the 
American  charge  d'affaires^  where  I  met  with  a  young 
gentleman  of  the  name  of  Huger,  from  South  Caro 
lina,  who  has  just  returned  from  Germany.  While 
on  the  continent,  he  met  with  a  particular  friend  of 
the  Marquis  de  La  Fayette,  who  was  at  that  time 
digesting  a  plan  for  effecting  the  escape  of  the  mar 
quis,  and  in  which  he  engaged  our  countryman  to 
embark  with  him. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  195 

"  As  the  marquis  had  feigned  illness,  and  had  per 
mission  to  ride  out  under  a  guard  of  two  men,  the  plan 
was  that  our  adventurers  should  attack  the  guards, 
having  first  furnished  horses  at  an  appointed  place, 
and  that  they  should  all  take  different  routes.  The 
plan  was  executed  with  success,  so  far  as  to  rescue 
the  marquis.  They  then  separated.  The  alarm  went 
forth ;  but  La  Fayette,  when  within  twenty  miles  of 
the  frontier  of  Germany,  was  asked  for  his  passport. 
Having  none  to  show,  he  was  carried  before  the 
magistrate  of  the  town,  who  was  upon  the  point  of 
discharging  him,  when  one  of  the  clerks  of  the  house, 
who  passed  by  accident  through  the  room,  no  sooner 
saw  the  face  of  the  marquis  than  he  recognized  him, 
and  declared  the  fact  immediately.  He  was  recon- 
ducted  to  his  prison,  where  he  has  been  kept  ever 
since  with  more  rigor,  but  not  enough  to  endanger 
his  health.  Huger  and  his  friend  were  both  taken 
and  kept  in  close  confinement  eight  months,  where 
they  suffered  very  severely,  not  having  the  use  of 
books,  pen,  ink,  or  paper.  Mr.  Huger  mentions  a 
singular  anecdote  with  regard  to  the  marquis  while  in 
his  first  confinement.  In  the  same  prison  where  he 
was,  there  was  one  of  his  officers  also  confined.  The 
officers  who  visited  them  being  particularly  charged 
to  be  careful  that  there  was  no  correspondence  be 
tween  them,  they  fell  upon  the  following  expedient : 
The  rooms  of  the  two  friends  were  adjoining,  —  that 
is,  they  were  only  separated  by  an  entry ;  so  that  the 
dinner  came  to  the  marquis,  and  was  immediately 
carried  to  his  friend,  or  sometimes  from  his  friend  to 


196  MEMOIR    OF 

him.  Their  general  mess  was  carrot-soup.  The  mar 
quis  formed  a  piece  of  wood  into  the  shape  of  a  carrot, 
and  colored  it,  making  it  hollow.  Thus  he  wrote 
what  he  pleased;  and,  slipping  the  carrot  into  the 
large  tub,  his  friend  pitched  upon  that,  and,  when 
the  jailer  had  returned,  opened  his  artificial  carrot, 
and  feasted  upon  its  contents.  Thus  they  correspond 
ed  for  some  time ;  until  an  accident  happened,  which 
entirely  defeated  any  future  attempt,  or  rather  the 
success  of  any.  As  the  attendant  was  carrying  the 
soup  from  one  room  to  the  other,  some  one,  who  felt 
a  great  inducement  to  taste  a  carrot,  unfortunately 
fixed  upon  this  one,  which  he  found  to  be  hard,  and, 
upon  further  examination,  observed  it  was  of  wood. 
Thus  the  business  was  discovered,  and  an  end  put  to 
their  mode  of  correspondence.  What  expedients  will 
not  the  human  mind  resort  to,  to  obtain  that  most 
precious  blessing,  liberty?  What  sacrifices  will  it 
not  make,  and  what  risks  not  run?  This  depriva 
tion  to  the  marquis  must  be  peculiarly  aggravating. 
His  anxiety,  too,  for  his  wife  and  children  must  be 
great  indeed,  particularly  if  he  has  by  any  means 
heard  of  the  dreadful  slaughter  there  has  been  in 
France,  regardless  of  sex,  age,  or  degree.  His  own 
family  has  been  among  those  who  have  lost  some  of 
their  nearest  friends  and  connections.  I  have  the 
pleasure  to  learn  that  the  wife  of  the  marquis  has  left 
France,  and  that  she  has  gone  to  Hamburg. 

"  Saw  the  Drury-Lane  performers,  and  Mrs.  Sid- 
dons,  and  her  brother,  Mr.  Kemble,  in  '  Isabella/ 
Their  performances  were  almost  beyond  praise.  Had 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  197 

Mr.  Kemble  a  better  voice,  he  would  appear  to  much 
greater  advantage. 

"  23d.  —  This  day,  left  London  in  a  post-chaise 
for  Bristol,  where  my  intention  is  to  take  passage  for 
America,  either  in  the  '  Richmond '  or  the  '  Severn.' 
Mr.  Pollard  takes  the  chaise  with  me ;  and  our  inten 
tion  is  to  go  out  of  the  general  route,  and  take  Oxford 
in  our  way. 

"29th. — Arrived  at  Oxford  in  the  evening  of  the 
day  on  which  we  left  London,  which  is  fifty-five  miles." 

One  result  of  this  visit  to  Europe  is  thus  mentioned 
in  the  autobiographical  sketch  already  referred  to :  — 

"  The  circumstance  of  my  interference  in  sending 
young  La  Fayette  to  this  country  was  the  cause  of 
one  of  the  most  interesting  events  of  my  life.  It 
was  known  to  Gen.  Washington,  through  the  father 
or  son,  or  both,  that  I  had  been  active  in  effecting 
the  removal  of  the  young  man  to  this  country ;  and, 
from  the  great  partiality  he  had  for  the  marquis, 
he  was  pleased  to  regard  the  actors  in  a  favorable 
light. 

"In  the  summer  of  1796,  I  visited  the  city  of 
Washington,  which  was  decided  upon  as  the  future 
seat  of  government,  though  Congress  still  sat  at 
Philadelphia.  While  I  was  there,  Gen.  Washington 
passed  some  days  at  the  new  seat  of  government.  He 
lodged  at  the  house  of  Mr.  Peters,  who  married  a 
Miss  Custis,  grand-daughter  of  Mrs.  Washington.  At 
a  ball  given  by  Mrs.  Peters,  to  which  I  was  invited, 


198  MEMOIR    OF 

I  was  introduced  to  the  General  by  Col.  Lear,  his 
private  secretary,  and  was  graciously  received,  and 
invited  to  visit  Mount  Vernon,  and  pass  some  time 
there.  This  was  not  to  be  declined ;  and,  a  few  days 
after,  I  went,  as  invited,  to  pay  my  respects  to  the 
man  I  cherished  in  my  mind  beyond  any  earthly 
being.  There  was  no  company  there  except  Mr. 
Thomas  Porter,  formerly  of  Boston,  who  then  lived  at 
Alexandria,  with  whom  I  was  intimately  acquainted, 
and  who  was  a  great  favorite  at  Mount  Vernon.  He 
took  me  to  the  residence  of  Gen.  Washington,  and 
returned  after  dinner  to  his  own  residence. 

"  It  is  well  known  that  the  General  was  not  in 
the  habit  of  talking  on  political  subjects  with  any  but 
those  connected  with  him  in  the  government.  Indeed, 
he  was  what  may  be  called  a  silent  man,  except  when 
necessity  called  upon  him  to  be  otherwise.  He  con 
versed  with  me  on  internal  improvements;  and  ob 
served  to  me,  that  I  should  probably  live  to  see  an 
internal  communication,  by  canals  and  rivers,  from 
Georgia  to  Massachusetts.  The  State  of  Maine  had 
not  then  been  separated  from  the  old  Bay  State.  He 
little  thought,  at  that  time  or  ever,  of  the  railroads 
which  now  span  the  country.  Gen.  Washington,  it 
is  understood,  was  the  first  projector  of  the  Dismal 
Swamp  Canal,  between  Chesapeake  Bay  and  Albemarle 
Sound,  in  North  Carolina,  at  that  time  a  great  under 
taking,  as  well  as  the  lockage  of  the  Little  Falls  of 
Potomac.  As  was  before  remarked,  I  was  the  only 
guest  at  Mount  Vernon  at  the  time  spoken  of.  Mrs. 
Washington,  and  her  grand-daughter,  Miss  Nelly 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  199 

Custis,  with  the  General,  were  the  only  inmates  of 
the  parlor. 

"The  situation  of  Mount  Vernon  is  known  to 
every  one  to  be  of  surpassing  beauty.  It  stands  on 
the  banks  of  the  Potomac,  but  much  elevated  above 
the  river,  and  affords  an  extensive  view  of  this  beau 
tiful  piece  of  water  and  of  the  opposite  shore.  At 
the  back  of  the  house,  overlooking  the  river,  is  a  wide 
piazza,  which  was  the  general  resort  in  the  afternoon. 
On  one  occasion,  when  sitting  there  with  the  family, 
a  toad  passed  near  to  where  I  sat  conversing  with 
Gen.  Washington ;  which  led  him  to  ask  me  if  I 
had  ever  observed  this  reptile  swallow  a  fire-fly. 
Upon  my  answering  in  the  negative,  he  told  me  that 
he  had;  and  that,  from  the  thinness  of  the  skin  of 
the  toad,  he  had  seen  the  light  of  the  fire-fly  after  it 
had  been  swallowed.  This  was  a  new,  and  to  me  a 
surprising,  fact  in  natural  history. 

"  I  need  not  remark  how  deeply  I  was  interested  in 
every  word  which  fell  from  the  lips  of  this  great  man. 
I  found  Mrs.  Washington  to  be  an  extremely  pleasant 
and  unaffected  lady,  rather  silent ;  but  this  was  made 
up  for  by  the  facetious  and  pleasant  young  lady,  Miss 
Custis,  who  afterwards  married  Major  Lewis,  a  nephew 
of  the  General,  and  who  is  yet  living.  During  the 
day,  the  General  was  either  in  his  study,  or  in  the  sad 
dle  overlooking  the  cultivation  of  his  farm. 

"  I  shall  never  forget  a  circumstance  which  took 
place  on  the  first  evening  I  lodged  at  Mount  Vernon. 
As  I  have  said  before,  it  was  in  July,  when  the  day 
trenched  far  upon  the  evening,  and  at  seven  or  eight 


£00  MEMOIR    OF 

o'clock  we  were  taking  our  tea ;  not  long  after  which, 
the  ladies  retired.  Knowing  the  habit  of  the  General, 
when  not  prevented  by  business,  to  retire  early,  at 
about  nine  o'clock  I  made  a  movement  in  my  chair  ; 
which  led  the  General  to  ask  me  if  I  wished  to  retire 
to  my  chamber.  Upon  my  answering  in  the  affirma 
tive,  observing  there  was  no  servant  in  the  room, 
he  took  one  of  the  candles  from  the  table,  leading  the 
way  to  the  great  staircase ;  then  gave  me  the  candle, 
and  pointed  out  to  me  the  door  at  the  head  of  the 
stairs  as  my  sleeping-room.  Think  of  this  ! 

"  In  the  room  in  which  I  laid  myself  down  —  for  I 
do  not  think  I  slept  at  all,  so  much  was  I  occupied 
with  the  occurrences  of  the  day  —  was  a  portrait  of 
La  Fayette  the  elder,  and,  hanging  over  the  fireplace, 
the  key  of  the  Bastille  ;  which,  I  believe,  retain  the 
same  places  to  this  day.  On  the  afternoon  of  the 
second  day  after  I  arrived,  I  took  my  leave  of  Mount 
Vernon,  more  gratified  than  I  can  express. 

"  In  the  autumn  of  the  year  of  my  visit,  Mr. 
Stuart  (Gilbert)  painted  the  full-length  portrait  of 
the  General ;  which  is  much  the  best  likeness  I  have 
ever  seen  of  him.  The  bust  I  have,  also  by  Stuart, 
is  a  fac-simile  of  the  original.  The  portrait  of  Mrs. 
Washington  too,  by  Stuart,  now  in  the  Athenaeum, 
is  an  excellent  likeness  of  that  excellent  lady.  I  re 
member  her  amiable  expression  of  countenance,  and 
courteous,  unaffected  manner,  as  well  at  this  time  as 
half  a  century  since. 

"The  President,  having  inquired  of  me  if  I  had 
visited  the  Great  Falls  of  the  Potomac,  and  being 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  201 

answered  in  the  negative,  observed  to  me,  that  I  ought 
not  to  leave  that  part  of  the  country  without  visiting 
them.  I  made  the  excursion,  though  pressed  for 
time,  and  to  my  great  satisfaction. 

"  I  consider  the  visit  to  Mount  Vernon  as  one  of 
the  most  interesting  of  my  life.  It  was  the  only  op 
portunity  which  I  should  have  ever  had  of  conversing 
familiarly  with  this  great  and  good  man.  Two  years 
after  my  visit,  he  died,  at  his  residence,  of  croup.  It 
is  stated  that  he  was  not  well  treated  for  the  disorder, 
and  that  with  more  skill  his  life  might  have  been  pre 
served  ;  though  I  doubt  if  his  happiness  would  have 
been  preserved  to  him,  had  his  life  been  spared.  De 
traction  and  calumny  had  assailed  him. 

"  The  new  city  of  Washington,  when  I  was  there, 
had  but  few  houses.  The  Capitol  was  not  built  for 
many  years  afterwards ;  and,  when  Congress  first  sat 
there,  it  occupied,  I  think,  a  building  erected  by  means 
of  a  tontine  speculation,  got  up  by  a  Mr.  Blodget, 
who  went  from  Massachusetts,  and  was  well  known 
as  a  great  projector  of  speculations  of  one  sort  and 
another." 

About  this  time  he  was  made  commander  of  a  mili 
tary  corps,  —  the  battalion  which  constitutes  the  guard 
and  escort  for  public  occasions  of  the  Governor  of  the 
Commonwealth  of  Massachusetts,  —  with  the  rank  of 
lieutenant-colonel,  having  for  some  time  previously 
held  that  of  major  in  the  same  corps. 

With  some  persons,  it  may  excite  only  a  smile  of 
derision  to  mention  this  as  worth  remembering,  and 

26 


MEMOIR    OF 


particularly  to  add,  as  the  cause  of  any  allusion  to  it, 
that  he  was  so  generally  known  afterwards  as  Col. 
Perkins,  that  his  numerous  acquaintances  throughout 
the  country  might  be  in  doubt  whether  he  is  the  in 
dividual  spoken  of  in  this  memoir,  if  that  appellation 
were  omitted.  But  there  are  some  considerations  con 
nected  with  this  that  deserve  notice.  The  foreigner 
smiles  or  frowns,  as  he  feels  disposed,  when  he  hears 
any  reference  among  us  to  military  rank  beyond  the 
field  or  day  parade,  unless  it  be  of  the  regular  army ; 
but  in  this  he  overlooks  the  fact,  that  the  customs  of 
a  nation  are  usually  connected  with  its  history  and 
political  character.  Military  rank  among  quiet  citi 
zens  is  not  so  empty  a  distinction  here  as  it  may  seem, 
but  constitutes  a  pledge  which  it  may  become  neces 
sary  to  redeem  in  earnest.  A  large  portion  of  the 
bloodiest  and  most  important  battles  that  have  ever 
occurred  among  us  have  been  fought  chiefly  by  the 
militia.  The  deference  paid  to  it  here  is  not  greater 
now  than  that  with  which  the  same  force  was  regarded 
in  England,  when  the  regiment  of  Coldstream  Guards 
formed  a  large  part  of  the  standing  army,  then  no 
greater  than  ours  is  at  present;  when,  indeed,  the 
only  army  which  the  law  had  recognized  in  that 
country  but  a  short  time  before  was  the  militia. 

"The  king  was  the  sole  captain-general  of  this  large 
force.  The  lords,  lieutenants,  and  their  deputies,  held  the 
command  under  him,  and  appointed  meetings  for  drillings 
and  inspection.  .  .  .  There  were  those  who  looked  on  the 
militia  with  no  friendly  eye.  .  .  .  The  enemies  of  the  liberties 
and  religion  of  England  looked  with  aversion  on  a  force 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 

which  could  not,  without  extreme  risk,  be  employed  against 
those  liberties  and  that  religion,  and  missed  no  opportunity 
of  throwing  ridicule  on  the  rustic  soldiery.  ...  In  Parlia 
ment,  however,  it  was  necessary  to  express  such  opinions 
with  some  reserve.  .  .  .  The  array  of  the  counties  was  com 
manded  almost  exclusively  by  Tory  noblemen  and  gentlemen. 
They  were  proud  of  their  military  rank,  and  considered  an 
insult  to  the  service  to  which  they  belonged  as  offered  to 
themselves.  They  were  also  perfectly  aware,  that  whatever 
was  said  against  a  militia  was  said  in  favor  of  a  standing 
army;  and  the  name  of  a  standing  army  was  hateful  to 
them."  * 

As  that  standing  army  was  gradually  enlarged, 
however,  and  the  profession  of  arms  became  an  oc 
cupation  for  life,  a  change  naturally  followed;  the 
exclusive  feeling  in  favor  of  professional  rank  gained 
strength ;  and  the  recognition  of  any  similar  claim 
for  the  militia  was  discouraged  as  a  matter  of  taste, 
because  it  affected  privilege. 

But  no  such  change  has  taken  place  here.  We 
have  no  intention  of  having  a  standing  army,  beyond 
a  mere  nucleus,  from  which  we  can  extend,  when 
necessary,  with  an  academy  for  the  thorough  educa 
tion  of  officers,  —  having  no  need  of  more. 

It  is  not  a  mere  channel  or  a  narrow  sea,  but  the 
broad  ocean,  that  separates  us  from  those  nations 
whose  power  could  ever  endanger  our  safety;  and  if 
such  power  should  be  directed  against  us,  our  coast 
and  frontier  being  equal  in  extent  to  those  of  several 
of  the  kingdoms  of  Europe  taken  together,  no  army 
that  we  are  likely  ever  to  have  could  guard  the  line  of 

*  Macaulay. 


£04  MEMOIR    OF 

exposure.  We  rely,  therefore,  mainly  on  the  local 
force  of  th'e  country  for  security  in  war,  and  for  the 
maintenance  of  order  in  peace.  Some  attempts  have 
been  made  among  us  to  break  down  the  militia  by 
ridicule ;  but  it  seems  probable,  that,  until  vast  changes 
take  place  in  other  respects,  we  shall  not  dispense 
with  this  system,  which  by  its  efficient  action  gains 
deference  for  itself,  in  comparison  with  what  is  done 
elsewhere.  Many  proofs  that  it  does  so  might  be 
given.  One  will  answer. 

In  1849,  the  year  succeeding  that  of  revolutions  in 
Europe,  a  serious  disturbance  occurred  in  the  city  of 
New  York,  in  the  dramatic  performances  there,  arising 
from  displeasure  towards  an  eminent  foreign  tragedian. 
The  theatre  was  surrounded  by  a  vast  multitude,  many 
of  them  in  a  state  of  great  excitement ;  acts  of  violence 
were  committed ;  property  and  life  were  endangered ; 
and  that  state  of  things  existed  which  is  thought  to 
warrant  the  use  of  military  force.  It  came  promptly 
when  summoned :  numbers  of  people  were  killed  and 
wounded ;  the  mob  was  dispersed,  and  order  was 
restored.  When  the  account  of  this  reached  Eng 
land,  it  was  remarked  in  one  of  the  leading  journals 
there,  with  reference  to  a  similar  event  which  had 
just  then  occurred  under  British  rule,  that  we  had,  at 
any  rate,  given  an  example  to  governments  of  greater 
energy  in  form  than  our  own  how  to  deal  with  rioters. 
In  the  same  steamer  that  carried  this  account,  or  the 
one  that  preceded  it,  there  went  the  particulars  of  a 
riot,  just  over  our  frontier,  in  Canada.  There,  the 
nobleman  who  represented  the  majesty  of  England 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £05 

was  driven  by  the  mob  from  the  seat  of  government, 
and  pursued  towards  his  country-seat ;  the  Parliament 
House  was  burned,  with  the  archives,  a  library  of 
great  value,  and  other  public  property ;  and,  if  any 
punishment  has  ever  been  inflicted  for  this,  it  must 
have  been  so  slight  that  it  has  scarcely  been  heard  of 
out  of  the  province. 

There  is  likewise  something  of  exaggeration  in 
reference  to  the  use  of  military  titles  in  this  country. 
Where  a  dozen  instances  can  be  given  of  it,  often 
arising  accidentally  from  assiduous  attention,  personal 
appearance,  or  otherwise,  probably  a  score  of  others 
might  be  adduced  where  there  is  no  further  allusion 
to  rank  in  the  militia  after  the  service  is  performed, 
even  including  some  officers  who  have  met  a  foreign 
enemy  successfully  in  battle. 

But  Col.  Perkins  was  a  man  distinguished  for 
energy,  for  a  lively  interest  in  all  that  concerned  the 
welfare  of  the  community  in  which  he  lived,  and  for 
a  desire  to  maintain  and  promote  its  respectability. 
He  acted  with  vigor  in  times  of  great  excitement.  A 
prominent  part  was  frequently  assigned  him,  either  to 
assist  in  the  direction  of  public  meetings,  or  as  leader 
on  important  committees ;  and,  his  name  being  neces 
sarily  often  in  print,  he  was  designated,  naturally 
enough,  in  the  way  that  indicated  its  connection  with 
public  order,  and  thus  added  something  to  its  weight. 
The  military  rank,  therefore,  which  might  otherwise 
have  soon  been  forgotten,  as  it  generally  has  been  in 
regard  to  those  who  have  held  it  in  the  same  corps, 
but  with  less  distinction  in  other  respects,  became 


206  MEMOIR    OF 

widely  associated  with  his  name,  and  so  continued 
until  his  decease.  This  was  the  more  natural,  because 
the  tone  of  his  character  and  his  ordinary  bearing 
were  obviously  in  keeping  with  the  sentiment  which 
he  once  proposed  for  a  toast  at  some  military  festival : 
"  That  high  and  honorable  feeling  which  makes  gen 
tlemen  soldiers,  and  soldiers  gentlemen." 

Soon  afterwards  he  was  chosen  President  of  the 
Boston  branch  of  the  United  States  Bank;  quite  a 
distinction  at  that  time,  when  there  were  few  banks  in 
the  country,  and  a  remarkable  one  for  a  man  so  young 
as  he  was  then.  The  choice  was  owing  to  a  warm 
rivalry  for  the  honor  between  two  distinguished  mer 
chants,  much  older  than  himself;  whose  friends  at 
length  mutually  agreed  to  end  the  contest  by  select 
ing  a  third  candidate,  on  whom  all  could  unite.  He 
was  too  much  engaged  in  his  own  enterprises  to  retain 
the  place  long ;  and  in  a  year  or  two  he  was  succeeded 
by  the  Hon.  George  Cabot,  eminent  not  only  as  a 
commercial  man,  but  as  a  Senator  of  the  United 
States. 

In  1805,  he  was  elected  to  the  Senate  of  the  State, 
as  he  frequently  was  afterwards ;  and,  for  eighteen  or 
twenty  years  following,  he  was,  most  of  the  time, 
member  of  one  branch  or  the  other  of  the  Legisla 
ture,  but  generally  of  the  Senate,  unless  absent  from 
the  country.  Being  a  man  of  few  words,  he  rarely 
took  part  in  debate ;  but  his  opinions  were  marked 
by  decision.  What  he  said  was  to  the  point ;  his  lan 
guage  was  good ;  and,  when  he  was  strongly  moved, 
he  spoke  with  power.  One  of  his  colleagues  in  the 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  207 

Senate,  who  afterwards  had  long  experience  in  Con 
gress,  and  was  favorably  distinguished  there  as  well 
as  at  the  bar,  has  remarked  since,  that  he  had  rarely 
heard  public  men  make  a  short,  oif-hand  speech  with 
more  effect  than  Col.  Perkins  occasionally  did,  when 
his  feelings  were  deeply  engaged  in  the  subject  of 
debate. 

He  was  never  in  Congress  himself,  although  his 
election  would  have  been  certain  if  he  would  have 
accepted  a  nomination  as  candidate ;  and  there  were 
several  occasions  when  it  was  desirable  to  his  political 
friends,  who  predominated  by  a  large  majority  in  his 
district,  to  have  had  a  commercial  representative  there 
like  him.  It  is  understood  that  he  might  at  one  time 
have  been  made  Secretary  of  the  Navy,  if  he  had  been 
disposed  to  take  charge  of  that  department  of  the 
national  government.  But  he  does  not  appear  to 
have  been  desirous  of  political  distinction ;  and  the 
engagements  in  commerce  which  required  his  atten 
tion  were  too  important  to  be  made  subordinate  to 
any  other  demands  on  his  time. 

In  the  narrative  addressed  to  his  children,  after 
relating  the  foregoing  circumstances  of  his  visit  to 
Mount  Vernon,  he  proceeds  as  follows :  — 

"  But  to  return  to  the  object  of  these  dotting s- 
down^  —  my  own  concerns.  The  north-west  trade  led 
to  a  continued  communication  with  China;  and,  in 
1798,  we  bought,  and  sent  to  Canton  direct,  the  ship 
'  Thomas  Russell ; '  and  Mr.  Ephraim  Bumstead,  then 
the  eldest  apprentice  in  our  counting-house,  went  out 


£08  MEMOIR    OF 

as  supercargo;  and,  in  1803,  we  entered  into  an  en 
gagement  with  him  to  go  to  China,  and  there  establish 
a  house  for  the  transaction  of  our  own  and  other 
business  when  offered.  Mr.  Bumstead  took  passage 
in  a  ship  from  Providence,  belonging  partly  to  mer 
chants  there,  and  to  J.  and  T.  H.  Perkins. 

"Mr.  J.  P.  Gushing,  then  in  our  counting-house, 
went  with  Mr.  Bumstead  as  his  clerk.  He  was  then 
sixteen  years  old,  wrote  a  fine  hand,  was  a  very  steady 
lad,  and  had  a  great  taste  for  going  abroad.  Soon 
after  their  arrival  in  China,  Mr.  Bumstead  was  obliged, 
from  illness,  to  leave  Canton,  with  the  intention  of 
recruiting,  and  then  returning  to  China.  But  he 
never  returned,  having  died  on  the  passage  to  the 
port  for  which  he  was  bound. 

"  Mr.  Cushing  was,  therefore,  left  at  this  early  age 
to  manage  the  concerns  of  the  house,  which  were 
increased  by  consignments,  and  which  required  a 
good  head  to  direct  them.  This,  fortunately,  Mr. 
Cushing  possessed;  and  the  business  which  fell  into 
his  hands  was  as  well  conducted  as  if  Mr.  Bumstead 
had  been  on  the  spot.  We  afterwards  sent  a  nephew 
of  my  brother's  wife,  Mr.  Paine,  to  join  him.  He 
remained  but  a  short  time  in  China.  Mr.  Cushing 
was  taken  into  copartnership  with  us ;  and  so  con 
tinued  until  his  return  to  America,  or  rather  to  the 
dissolution  of  the  house  in  1827.  He  had  visited 
the  United  States  in  1807;  but  soon  returned  to 
China,  and  did  not  leave  it  until  twenty  years  after 
that  time.  He  was  well  repaid  for  his  undertaking 
by  the  result." 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £09 

When  the  tidings  of  Mr.  Bumstead's  death  reached 
Boston,  Col.  Perkins  immediately  decided  to  go  to 
China  himself,  as  there  seemed  to  him  to  be  no  alter 
native  in  such  an  emergency ;  and  he  made  prepara 
tions  for  his  departure  accordingly.  But,  just  before 
he  was  ready  to  sail,  a  vessel  arrived  in  a  short  pas 
sage  from  Canton,  with  letters  from  Mr.  Gushing, 
who  was  his  nephew,  giving  so  clear  a  report  of  the 
business  of  the  house,  and  showing  so  much  ability 
in  the  management  of  it,  that  he  felt  safe  in  postpon 
ing  his  voyage  at  first,  and  afterwards  in  relinquishing 
it  altogether,  as  it  became  obvious  that  Mr.  Gushing, 
young  as  he  was,  needed  no  aid  in  performing  the 
duties  thus  devolved  upon  him. 

Under  his  guidance,  the  house  there  was  at  length 
so  favorably  known,  that  consignments  increased  until 
they  interfered  with  the  business  of  the  house  itself, 
and  it  became  desirable  to  give  them  some  other 
direction.  A  distinct  commission-house  was,  there 
fore,  established  at  Canton  for  this  purpose,  under  the 
auspices  and  with  the  favor  of  Perkins  and  Co., 
which  continues  to  this  day,  although  the  first  part 
ners  withdrew  from  it,  rich,  many  years  ago.  A  long 
line  of  successors,  following  them,  have  managed  the 
same  establishment  by  turns,  and  retired  from  it  suc 
cessively  with  fortunes,  with  which  they  have  returned 
to  the  United  States.  If  all  those  were  enumerated 
whose  success  in  life  might  thus  be  traced  to  that  first 
voyage  of  Col.  Perkins  to  China  in  1789,  the  number 
would  cause  surprise. 

27 


210  MEMOIR    OF 

"  Embargoes  and  non-intercourse,"  he  continues  in 
the  narrative,  "  with  political  and  other  causes  of  em 
barrassment,  crossed  our  path ;  but  we  kept  our  trade 
with  China,  and,  during  the  war  of  the  Peninsula, 
embarked  largely  in  the  shipment  of  provisions  to 
Spain  and  Portugal.  Our  general  plan  was  to  freight 
vessels,  load  them  with  flour  at  the  south  for  Europe, 
and  have  the  funds  remitted  to  London.  To  make 
some  necessary  arrangements  respecting  them,  I  took 
passage  in  the  brig  '  Reaper,'  belonging  to  my  friend 
Henry  Lee,  for  London,  in  August,  1811.  The  in 
tention  of  Mr.  Lee  was  to  proceed  to  India  in  the 
brig,  taking  funds  from  England,  and  returning  to 
Boston  with  Calcutta  cloths,  which  then  paid  a  great 
advance.  I  sent  funds  in  her;  and  she  returned  in 
the  year  1812,  during  the  war  with  Great  Britain,  and 
with  great  profit.  Long-cloths  of  India  then  brought 
twenty-five  cents  per  yard,  though  an  inferior  article 
to  what  is  now  made  in  this  country  and  sold  at  six 
cents,  being  less  than  one-fourth  of  the  price  the  India 
cloths  then  sold  at.  I  remained  in  London  during 
the  year,  or  until  the  summer,  and  returned  after  war 
had  been  declared.  While  in  London,  I  bought,  with 
the  elder  Mr.  Higginson,  goods  brought  into  England 
for  France ;  which  resulted  in  great  gain. 

"In  the  spring,  I  bought  a  carriage,  with  Mr. 
Alexander  Everett,  and  was  made  bearer  of  de 
spatches  for  France.  At  that  time,  the  only  com 
munication  was  by  Morlaix  from  Plymouth.  There 
I  took  a  vessel  of  about  forty  or  fifty  tons  in  which 
to  cross  the  Channel.  As  we  had  no  use  but  for  the 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  211 

cabin,  we  gave  passage  to  a  dozen  or  more  Frenchmen, 
who  had  been  exchanged,  and  had  no  means  of  get 
ting  to  France  but  by  the  privileged  vessels  which  left 
Plymouth  from  time  to  time.  Among  the  persons  to 
whom  a  free  passage  was  given,  was  one  who  had 
resided  some  years  in  our  good  city  of  Boston,  and 
who  doubtless  had  known  me  as  active  in  resisting 
the  principles  of  the  Jacobins.  This  individual  was 
the  cause  of  my  detention  at  Morlaix  nearly  three 
weeks,  —  having  reported  me  to  the  commissary  at 
Morlaix  as  opposed  to  the  French,  and  a  great  friend 
of  the  English.  In  consequence,  I  was  ordered  to 
remain  at  Morlaix  until  orders  were  received  from 
Paris.  After  writing  to  Mr.  Barlow,  the  then  minis 
ter  of  the  United  States,  and  using  other  means,  we 
were  permitted  to  proceed  to  Paris.  During  my  stay 
at  Morlaix,  my  limit  was  the  town,  unless  accom 
panied  by  one  of  the  gens  d'armes.  I  visited  the  lead 
mines  in  that  vicinity,  and  made  other  excursions 
within  thirty  or  forty  miles ;  and  was,  upon  the  whole, 
very  civilly  treated  by  Moreau,  the  commissioner,  after 
he  was  satisfied  that  my  object  in  visiting  France  was 
commercial,  and  not  political.  Moreau,  the  general, 
although  from  the  same  town,  was  not  a  relative  of 
the  commissioner,  who  was  a  great  Bonapartist. 

"  An  incident  which  caused  me  much  anxiety,  and 
which  might  have  been  attended  by  serious  conse 
quences,  occurred  in,  or  was  connected  with,  this 
journey.  On  my  leaving  London,  Mr.  Russell,  who 
was  then  charge  d'affaires  of  the  United  States  at  the 
court  of  St.  James,  on  my  going  to  his  house  for 


MEMOIR    OF 


despatches,  put  into  my  hands  a  package  of  some 
sheets  in  a  volume,  directed  to  Col.  Tchernicheff, 
chancellor  to  the  Russian  minister,  Prince  Kourakine, 
at  Paris.  Had  I  considered  a  moment,  I  should  have 
doubted  the  -  " 

Here  the  narrative  is  broken  off.  It  was  suspended, 
probably,  at  his  departure  from  Saratoga,  where  it  is 
dated,  and  was  never  continued.  But,  in  conversation, 
he  gave  a  graphic  account  of  the  solicitude  which  he 
felt,  while  he  was  detained  in  Morlaix,  at  having  with 
him  despatches  so  directed,  which  might  be  discovered 
in  his  possession;  of  the  momentous  state  of  affairs 
which  he  found  on  his  arrival  in  Paris,  shortly  before 
the  open  breach  of  Napoleon  with  Russia,  that  led 
to  the  fatal  campaign  in  the  North  ;  of  the  difficulty 
that  he  had  in  safely  delivering  the  despatches  ;  the 
acknowledgments  that  he  received  from  the  Russian 
embassy  for  doing  it  successfully  ;  the  angry  look 
which  he  saw  the  emperor  cast,  from  his  seat  in  the 
theatre,  towards  the  box  of  the  Russian  ambassador, 
as  if  he  had  meant  that  it  should  be  observed;  and 
the  departure  of  the  latter  from  Paris  the  following 
day. 

While  he  was  at  Morlaix,  an  incident  there  called 
into  action  some  of  those  qualities  of  heart  and  head 
which  were  repeatedly  exercised  afterwards  on  a  greater 
scale,  —  the  spirit  that  freely  contributes  to  the  alle 
viation  of  distress,  and  the  intelligent  skill  which  can 
make  one  liberal  contribution  the  means  of  elicit 
ing  the  action  of  a  community  in  a  good  cause.  The 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 

story  is  told  in  a  letter  to  Mrs.  Perkins,  too  long  to 
be  inserted  entire,  but  interesting  throughout;  and 
some  passages  will  show  his  habits  of  observation  as 
a  traveller,  with  something  of  the  state  of  France  at 
that  time :  — 

"  CHERBOURG,  June  2,  1812. 

"My  DEAR  SARAH,  —  I  can  easily  conceive,  from 
my  own  feelings,  how  much  pleasure  the  receipt  of 
this  letter  will  give  you,  —  being  the  only  one  I  have 
written  you  for  two  months,  excepting  a  short  one 
from  Morlaix,  which  was  not  calculated  to  afford  you 
much  satisfaction,  as  I  was  then  under  a  degree  of 
restraint,  which  has  not  left  me  from  that  time  to 
this.  I  am  now  here  waiting  the  arrival  of  the 
'  Wasp '  (sloop-of-war)  from  England,  where  she  re 
turns  again  to  land  me  with  the  despatches  from  the 
minister  at  Paris  to  the  charge  d'affaires  at  London. 
You  may  well  suppose  what  my  anxiety  is  to  hear 
from  home,  having  received  no  letters  of  later  date 
than  February.  My  anxiety  is  much  increased  from 
the  uncertainty  as  to  our  situation  in  regard  to  the  war. 
If  we  are  engaged  in  the  contest,  I  shall  find  it  diffi 
cult  to  return.  My  passport  to  leave  the  country  was 
kept  back;  and,  but  for  exertions  which  I  made 
through  some  persons  whom  I  had  interested  in  my 
behalf,  I  might  have  been  some  months  longer  de 
tained. 

"  You  will  want  to  know  what  has  been  the  dispo 
sition  of  my  time  since  I  arrived  in  France.  I  was 
detained  at  Morlaix  fifteen  days ;  and,  but  for  the 


214  MEMOIR    OF 

exertions  of  my  friends,  might  have  been  there  this 
hour,  as  a  gentleman  who  arrived  there  a  month 
before  me  has  been  detained  there  till  this  time,  and 
can  get  no  permission  either  to  return  to  America  or 
to  go  to  Paris.  Another  bearer  of  despatches  was 
there  a  month.  I  was  not  so  much  ennuye  as  those 
gentlemen  who  were  looking  to  Paris  as  the  place 
where  they  were  to  realize  golden  dreams  of  pleasure. 
As  I  am  fond  of  spying  out  wonders,  I  got  permission 
to  visit  a  lead  mine,  which  is  at  no  great  distance  from 
Morlaix,  and  which  afforded  me  the  highest  gratifica 
tion.  There  are  upwards  of  twelve  hundred  persons 
employed  at  the  works.  The  descent  from  the  sur 
face  to  the  deepest  part  is  eight  hundred  feet.  I  was 
astonished  to  find  the  price  of  this  severe  labor  so 
low.  Twelve  hours'  labor  is  exacted  in  the  twenty- 
four.  The  time  employed  in  going  down  and  return 
ing  is  not  included.  And  for  this  the  men  receive 
about  eighteen  to  twenty  cents  per  day,  and  find  them 
selves  !  Men  only,  with  a  few  boys,  are  employed  in 
the  mines.  Women,  both  old  and  young,  and  chil 
dren  down  to  five  years  old,  are  employed  in  selecting 
the  good  from  the  bad  ore,  breaking  it  in  pieces,  and 
working  it.  They  receive  from  four  to  seven  sous 
(equal  to  as  many  cents)  per  day.  They  find  them 
selves,  and  work,  from  the  getting  up  to  the  going 
down  of  the  sun,  the  year  through.  You  will  ask 
how  they  subsist.  I  can  hardly  imagine  how  they  get 
along :  but  so  it  is ;  and  I  do  not  see  but  they  appear 
as  healthy  as  people,  in  general,  who  are  employed  in 
hard  labor  of  a  different  kind.  Black  bread,  moist- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £15 

ened  with  a  kind  of  lard  or  bad  butter,  furnishes 
them  their  food,  and  the  spring  quenches  their  thirst. 
Once  in  a  while,  they  have  a  few  pounds  of  beef  boiled 
to  pieces  in  a  pot  containing  half  a  barrel  of  water 
and  a  few  vegetables.  This  soup,  as  it  is  called,  is  a 
sort  of  luxurious  living,  which  is  too  good  to  be  served 
often.  I  found,  that,  were  twice  the  number  of  women 
wanted,  they  might  be  had ;  and  even  of  men  of  a 
certain  age,  which  does  not  include  the  term  when 
they  are  wanted  for  the  army. 

"  When  I  returned  to  Morlaix,  I  found  my  pass 
port  had  arrived;  so  that  I  could  not  go  again  to 
visit  this  very  interesting  work.  Upon  the  whole, 
my  fifteen  days  went  away  much  more  pleasantly 
than  I  had  expected;  and  I  should  not  have  hung 
myself,  had  I  been  obliged  to  remain  there  a  week 
longer. 

"  There  is  a  tobacco  manufactory  at  Morlaix,  on  a 
very  large  scale.  Twelve  hundred  and  sixty  persons 
are  daily  at  work  at  it.  All  the  manufactures  of 
snuff,  and  tobacco  in  every  shape,  in  the  empire  be 
long  to  the  government,  who  purchase  the  raw  mate 
rial,  and  work  it  into  the  form  in  which  it  is  used.  I 
contrived  to  get  admission,  and  was  astonished  at  the 
extent  of  the  establishment. 

"  It  is  astonishing  to  observe  the  difference  in  num 
bers  between  the  men  and  women  you  see  in  the 
streets  in  every  town  through  which  you  pass.  At 
Morlaix,  they  say  there  are  fourteen  females  to  one 
male  in  the  town.  You  would  hardly  suppose  there 
was  any  part  of  France  —  I  mean  of  France  as  it 


216  MEMOIR    OF 

was  under  the  old  government  —  in  which  the  inhabi 
tants  of  whole  districts  do  not  speak  French.  This, 
however,  is  the  case  in  Brittany.  The  people  who 
live  a  mile  from  the  town  speak  no  more  French  than 
they  do  Greek.  Their  language  is  the  Welsh,  and  is 
the  only  one  spoken  by  them  until  they  leave  their 
villages  and  come  to  the  towns  to  reside,  or  go  to  the 
army,  when  they  are  obliged  to  learn  the  French. 
The  people  who  live  in  the  towns  are  obliged  to  learn 
the  language  of  Brittany,  or  they  could  not  go  to  the 
market,  or  have  any  communication  with  the  country 
people.  Before  taking  my  leave  of  Morlaix,  I  must 
relate  to  you  a  fact  that  came  under  my  knowledge, 
by  which  you  can  appreciate  the  tenure  by  which 
liberty  is  held  here. 

"  The  family  in  which  I  lived  was  o^ne  of  the  most 
respectable  in  Morlaix,  in  point  of  property,  previous 
to  the  revolution.  Like  many  others,  it  was  reduced 
to  very  narrow  means  by  the  then  existing  state  of 
things,  as  their  wealth  consisted  principally  in  vessels, 
which  either  perished  at  the  wharves,  or  were  taken 
by  the  powers  which  then  ruled,  and  were  totally  lost 
to  Monsieur  Beau,  who  was  their  proprietor.  Having 
been  the  agent  for  the  lead  mines  for  a  long  time,  this 
was  a  resource  to  him;  and  although  the  stipend 
arising  from  this  was  a  moderate  one,  yet  it  served  to 
feed  his  wife  and  children,  who  were  some  six  or  seven 
in  number.  M.  Beau  died  a  few  years  since,  and  left 
his  widow  without  any  resource  for  the  support  of  her 
family.  Being  a  woman  of  a  good  deal  of  character, 
the  company  to  whom  the  mines  belong  concluded  to 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £17 

continue  the  agency  in  the  hands  of  Mrs.  Beau,  who, 
with  the  aid  of  her  youngest  son,  has  carried  on  the 
purchases  and  sales  to  this  time.  The  two  eldest  sons 
got  clerkships  in  the  tobacco  manufactory,  and  a 
daughter  was  married ;  so  that  but  one  daughter  and 
one  son  were  upon  the  shoulders  of  the  old  lady. 
Their  means  were,  to  be  sure,  small ;  but  their  wants 
were  few ;  and,  although  their  whole  income  was  not 
more  than  six  hundred  dollars  per  annum,  the  son 
who  aided  his  mother  in  the  lead-mine  agency  had 
made  a  matrimonial  engagement ;  and,  not  believing 
that  '  Love  would  fly  out  of  the  window,  though 
Poverty  looked  in  at  the  door,'  a  day  was  designated 
for  the  marriage ;  and  I  was  invited  as  a  guest  at 
the  meeting  of  the  family,  which  was  to  take  place 
in  the  evening.  The  marriage  ceremony  took  place  in 
the  morning,  at  the  parish  church ;  and  at  about  ten 
o'clock  I  was  introduced  to  the  bride,  whom  I  found 
to  be,  as  I  had  heard  her  represented,  a  beautiful 
woman  of  about  twenty,  with  a  very  prepossessing 
countenance,  which,  it  was  universally  acknowledged, 
was  a  perfect  index  of  her  amiable  mind.  She 
seemed  perfectly  happy ;  and  nothing  but  joy  was 
visible  in  every  countenance  in  the  family.  All 
was  happiness  and  gayety  and  laugh  and  frolic. 
Mark  the  sad  change.  vAt  twelve  o'clock,  the  bride 
groom  received  notice  that  he  had  been  drawn  in  the 
conscription ;  and  that  on  Sunday  he  must  be  at 
Campege,  a  distance  of  thirty  leagues.  This  was  on 
Thursday.  In  such  cases,  entreaty  is  vain,  and  never 
resorted  to,  because  always  ineffectual.  To  go  to  the 


£18  MEMOIR    OF 

army  was  to  go,  to  return  when  the  exigencies  of  the 
State  no  longer  required  his  services.  The  whole 
family  was  in  a  state  little  short  of  distraction  when 
I  left  the  town,  which  was  early  on  the  next  morning. 
The  lowest  price  at  which  a  substitute  could  be  pro 
cured  was  three  thousand  francs ;  and  the  family  could 
not  command  half  the  money  in  all  its  branches.  The 
peculiar  situation  of  this  family  seemed  to  paralyze 
the  whole  town,  and  led  to  an  exertion  which  is  seldom 
made,  and  which  proved  effectual  in  preventing  this 
young  man  from  being  torn  from  the  embraces  of  his 
charming  wife  and  amiable  mother.  I  have  the  satis 
faction  of  having  put  the  thing  in  train,  and  shall 
always  consider  the  opportunity  as  one  of  the  most 
gratifying  which  ever  presented  itself  to  me.  After 
my  arrival  in  Paris,  I  received  a  letter^saying  that  my 
example  had  been  followed,  and  that  it  had  produced 
the  effect  desired.  This  is  an  anecdote,  or  rather  this 
part  of  it,  for  your  own  private  ear ;  and  you  will  not, 
of  course,  show  this  letter." 

Some  years  afterwards,  he  was  again  at  Morlaix; 
and,  as  a  proof  of  the  affection  and  respect  with  which 
the  remembrance  of  him  was  cherished,  he  found  that 
the  room  which  he  had  occupied  at  the  time  of  this 
occurrence  had  been  kept  in  the  precise  order  in  which 
he  left  it,  no  article  having  been  removed  from  its 
place. 

War  between  the  United  States  and  Great  Britain 
was  declared,  as  it  appears  from  the  foregoing  letter 
he  apprehended  that  it  might  be,  even  before  he 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £19 

reached  home  in  1812.  After  his  return,  being  him 
self  among  the  leaders  in  political  aifairs,  as  he  was 
prominent  in  commerce,  he  took  an  active  and  very 
decided  part  in  the  discussions  and  movements  of  the 
time,  which  are  now  matters  of  history.  His  sensa 
tions  on  the  return  of  peace  are  forcibly  expressed  in 
the  following  letter*  to  Mr.  Gushing,  his  nephew  and 
partner  in  China :  < — 

"  WASHINGTON,  16th  February,  1815. 
<(  MR.  JOHN  P.  GUSHING,  Canton. 

"  My  dear  John,  — ?  I  am  here  on  public  business  in  behalf 
of  the  State  of  Massachusetts.  The  joyful  event  of  peace 
has  suspended  the  mission  on  which  I  came.  You  will  hear 
with  delight  of  this  event.  No  sacrifice  is  made  of  territory 
or  commercial  rights.  It  is  a  treaty  formed  on  the  basis  of 
that  of  1783.  All  the  claims  upon  which  the  war  was  found 
ed  have  been  relinquished.  The  right  to  go  to  the  British 
possessions  was  a  municipal  privilege  extended  to  us,  and 
which  a  commercial  treaty  may  restore.  The  Senate  has  rati 
fied  the  treaty,  and  the  president's  proclamation  will  issue 
to-morrow.  Then,  thanks  to  the  Giver  of  all  good  things ! 
we  are  once  more  restored  to  peace  ;  and  I  trust  I  shall  never 
see  another  war. 

"  Heaven  bless  you !  Your  sister  is  well,  and  all  your 
particular  connections  are  so. 

"I  shall  be  here  a  week  longer,  and  then  I  shall  look 
homewards.  Yours,  affectionately,  T.  H.  PERKINS." 

About  this  time,  he  became  actively  engaged  in  mea 
sures  for  establishing  the  Massachusetts  General  Hos 
pital  with  an  Asylum  for  the  Insane,  the  necessity  for 
which  had  begun  to  be  deeply  felt.  He  was  one  of 

*  See  Appendix. 


MEMOIR    OF 

those  to  whom  an  act  of  incorporation  had  been  grant 
ed  for  the  purpose,  with  a  valuable  donation  from  the 
Commonwealth,  on  the  condition  that  the  sum  of  one 
hundred  thousand  dollars  should  be  raised  by  sub 
scription  within  a  limited  time.  His  name  was  at 
the  head  of  the  first  list  of  trustees ;  and  he  under 
took  the  work  which  his  position  involved  with  charac 
teristic  energy.  His  influence  and  his  services  were 
highly  appreciated  by  those  with  whom  he  was  en 
gaged  in  that  undertaking.  The  subscriptions  were 
made  on  the  condition  that  the  full  sum  of  one  hun 
dred  thousand  dollars  should  be  obtained ;  so  that  the 
whole  depended  on  entire  success.  Besides  his  exer 
tions  in  rousing  other  subscribers,  he  and  his  elder 
brother  contributed  five  thousand  dollars  each  towards 
the  fund ;  and  it  was  completed  agreeably  to  the  terms 
of  condition.  It  is  well  known  that  the  efforts  of 
those  who  were  engaged  in  this  movement  have  been 
productive  of  all  the  good  which  they  hoped  to  effect. 
The  institution  bears  a  favorable  comparison  with 
those  of  the  same  kind  in  other  places,  and  has  be 
come  celebrated  throughout  the  world  for  the  first 
successful  application  of  the  great  discovery  in  the 
use  of  ether  for  surgical  operations. 

His  elder  brother  and  partner,  James  Perkins,  Esq., 
died  in  the  year  1822.  The  following  passages  from 
a  notice  of  his  death,  published  at  the  time,  show  the 
estimation  in  which  he  was  held :  — 

"  While  his  real  and  most  eloquent  eulogy  is  to  be 
sought  in  the  course  of  an  industrious,  honorable,  and 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 

most  useful  life,  it  is  due  to  the  virtues  he  practised, 
to  the  example  he  set,  to  the  noble  standard  of  cha 
racter  on  which  he  acted,  not  to  be  entirely  silent, 
now  that  nothing  remains  of  them  but  their  honored 
memory.  He  had  received  in  boyhood,  under  the 
care  of  an  excellent  mother,  the  preparatory  instruc 
tion  which  might  have  fitted  him  for  an  academical 
education ;  but  the  approach  of  the  Revolutionary 
War,  and  the  discouraging  aspect  of  the  times,  dictated 
the  commercial  career  as  more  prudent. 

"  In  enterprises  extending  over  the  habitable  globe, 
employing  thousands  of  agents,  constantly  involving 
fortunes  in  their  result,  and  requiring,  on  many  occa 
sions  necessarily  incident  to  business  of  this  extent, 
no  secondary  degree  of  firmness  and  courage,  not  a 
shadow  of  suspicion  of  any  thing  derogatory  to  the 
highest  and  purest  sense  of  honor  and  conscience  ever 
attached  to  his  conduct.  The  character  of  such  a 
man  ought  to  be  held  up  for  imitation." 

Mr.  James  Perkins  left  a  large  fortune,  acquired  in 
this  honorable  course,  and  is  still  remembered  for 
distinguished  liberality  in  all  appeals  that  were  made 
when  he  lived,  for  charity  or  public  good,  to  the  afflu 
ent  and  generous  in  the  community;  for  his  liberal 
donations  to  several  institutions  ;  and  especially  for  a 
munificent  gift  of  real  estate,  of  the  value  of  about 
twenty  thousand  dollars,  to  the  Boston  Athenaeum, 
and  the  bequest  of  twenty  thousand  more  to  the 
University  at  Cambridge.  The  decease  of  such  an 
associate  in  the  commercial  vicissitudes  of  nearly 


MEMOIR    OF 

forty  years  was  deeply  felt  by  his  surviving  partner 
and  brother.* 

In  1826,  it  was  proposed  to  raise  a  considerable 
sum  for  additions  to  the  Athenaeum.  Something  over 
thirty  thousand  dollars  was  required.  Col.  Perkins, 
and  his  nephew,  Mr.  James  Perkins,  son  and  sole  heir 
of  his  deceased  brother,  contributed  one-half  of  it, 
paying  eight  thousand  dollars  each,  on  the  condition 
that  the  same  amount  should  be  subscribed  by  the 
public;  which  was  done.  He  made  other  valuable 
donations  to  the  Athenaeum,  and  was  for  several  years 
president  of  that  institution. 

Soon  after  this,  having  witnessed  the  successful  com 
mencement  of  railroads  in  England,  he  resolved  to 
introduce  them  here  ;  and,  having  obtained  a  charter 
for  the  Granite  Railway  Company,  Jie  caused  one  of 
two  miles  in  length  to  be  made,  for  the  purpose  of 
transporting  granite  from  the  quarries  in  Quincy  to 
the  water.  This  was  the  first  railroad  built  in  this 
country;  though  there  was  a  rough  contrivance  in 
Pennsylvania,  for  the  removal  of  coal,  which  is  said  to 
have  preceded  it.  It  has  been  the  means  of  adding 

*  The  experience  of  Franklin,  as  our  representative  in  Europe,  led  him  to  remark,  that 
diplomatists  and  statesmen  would  find  great  advantage  in  attending  more  closely  than  they  do 
to  the  information  that  may  be  had  from  commercial  men,  who  have  strong  inducements  to 
get  the  earliest  possible  intelligence  of  all  political  movements  that  affect  the  intercourse  of 
nations,  and  are  sometimes  better  informed  as  to  what  may  be  impending  than  the  govern 
ments  under  which  they  live. 

To  show  what  extended  and  comprehensive  views  are  taken  in  conducting  the  correspond 
ence  of  a  great  commercial  house,  and  what  variety  is  sometimes  combined  in  the  anticipations 
necessary  for  planning  voyages  of  great  length  or  complicated  design,  some  of  the  letters  of 
the  house  of  J.  and  T.  H.  Perkins  are  given  in  the  Appendix.  The  first  was  written  by  Mr. 
James  Perkins,  to  his  brother  when  in  France,  in  1794,  to  give  him  what  information  could  be 
gathered  here,  for  his  aid  in  deciding  whether  any  commercial  enterprise  could  be  undertaken 
with  advantage  in  Europe.  Some  of  these  letters  indicate,  in  both  partners,  the  discernment 
and  power  to  direct  which  go  far  to  qualify  men  for  acting  either  as  diplomatists  or  statesmen. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 


large  quantities  of  granite  to  the  building  materials  of 
our  cities,  and  its  effect  is  seen  extending  as  far  as 
New  Orleans. 

In  1833,  a  movement  was  made  to  obtain  funds  for 
the  establishment  of  a  school  for  blind  children  in  Bos 
ton.  Having  been  deeply  interested  by  an  exhibition 
given  to  show  their  capacity  for  improvement,  he  made 
a  donation  of  his  mansion-house  in  Pearl  Street  as  a 
place  for  their  residence.  He  gave  it  on  the  condition 
that  the  sum  of  fifty  thousand  dollars  should  be  con 
tributed  by  the  public  as  a  fund  to  aid  in  their  support. 
Efforts  were  made  accordingly  to  effect  that  object,  and 
proved  to  be  entirely  successful.  The  school  was  thus 
placed  on  a  stable  foundation,  and  by  means  that  insured 
it  continued  care.  The  incitement  which  had  thus  been 
offered  to  the  community,  to  secure  so  valuable  an 
estate  as  a  gift  to  the  public,  roused  general  attention 
to  the  subject  that  could  induce  such  a  donation. 
Mutual  sympathy  in  endeavoring  to  effect  the  purpose 
was  a  natural  result.  This  became  widely  diffused. 
An  institution  which  thus  offered  intelligence,  enjoy 
ment,  and  usefulness,  in  place  of  ignorance,  sorrow, 
and  idleness,  was  recognized  by  the  government  of 
the  State  as  deserving  aid  from  the  Commonwealth  ; 
and  liberal  public  provision  was  made  for  the  edu 
cation  there  of  blind  children  whose  parents  need. 
assistance  for  unusual  expenses. 

Under  the  direction  of  Dr.  Howe,  it  has  been  emi 
nently  successful,  and  is  known  through  the  country 
as  an  important  example  of  what  may  be  done.  In 
deed,  it  may  be  said  further,  that  the  country  itself  is 


MEMOIR    OF 


more  widely  and  favorably  known  in  the  Old  World 
from  the  annual  reports  of  what  has  been  effected 
there,  not  only  by  improvements  in  the  art  of  printing 
for  the  blind,  but  by  new  discoveries  in  the  possibility 
of  instruction,  which  he  has  demonstrated. 

The  publications  from  the  press  of  the  institution, 
under  his  care,  probably  comprise  more  matter  than 
all  other  works  in  the  English  language  that  have 
ever  been  published  for  the  use  of  the  blind;  and, 
at  the  recent  "  Exhibition  of  Works  of  Industry  of 
all  Nations "  in  the  Crystal  Palace  of  London,  the 
prize  medal  was  awarded  to  his  specimens  for  the  best 
system  of  letters,  and  the  best  mode  of  printing  such 
books.  But,  beyond  this,  Dr.  Howe  has  enlarged  the 
science  of  mind  by  reaching  and  developing  the  intel 
lect  of  the  blind  and  deaf  mute,  ^hut  up  from  human 
intercourse  by  obstruction  in  all  avenues  of  the  senses 
but  one,  and  proved  that  the  single  sense  of  touch 
can  be  made  the  medium  for  effectual  instruction  in 
reading  and  writing,  and  for  the  free  interchange  even 
of  the  most  refined  and  delicate  sentiments  that  are 
known  to  the  heart  of  woman.  In  this  he  was  the 
first  to  reduce  to  certainty  what  had  before  been  only 
a  problem;  and  has  shown  that  there  is  no  solid 
ground  for  the  principle  of  law  on  the  subject,  as  laid 
down  by  Blackstone,  that  "  a  man  who  is  born  deaf, 
dumb,  and  blind,  is  looked  upon  by  the  law  as  in  the 
same  state  with  an  idiot ;  he  being  supposed  incapable 
of  any  understanding,  as  wanting  all  those  senses 
which  furnish  the  human  mind  with  ideas." 

The  estate  given  by  Col.  Perkins,  although  spacious 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 


in  extent,  was  becoming,  from  its  position,  better 
suited  for  purposes  of  trade  than  of  residence.  From 
the  same  cause,  however,  it  was  rising  in  pecuniary 
value  ;  and  not  long  afterwards  it  was  exchanged, 
with  his  consent,  —  he  releasing  all  conditional  rights 
of  reversion,  —  for  a  large  edifice  in  the  suburbs,  built 
for  another  purpose,  but  admirably  adapted,  by  loca 
tion  and  structure,  for  the  residence  of  young  people. 
It  overlooks  the  harbor,  is  secure  by  its  elevation  from 
any  interruption  of  light  or  air,  and  affords  ample 
room  for  all  who  may  desire  to  come. 

The  institution  bears  his  name.  That  something 
important  would  have  eventually  been  done  in  Massa 
chusetts  for  the  education  of  the  blind,  even  if  he  had 
rendered  no  assistance,  cannot  be  doubted.  Dr.  John 
D.  Fisher,  a  physician  of  great  worth,  to  whose  memo 
ry  a  monument  has  been  erected  at  Mount  Auburn 
for  his  early  exertions  in  the  cause,  moving  almost 
unaided,  had  previously  obtained  an  act  of  incorpo 
ration  from  the  Legislature  for  the  purpose  ;  and 
Edward  Brooks,  Esq.,  and  Mr.  Prescott,  the  historian, 
with  some  other  gentlemen,  had  united  with  him  to 
promote  it.  What  followed  is,  in  a  great  measure, 
to  be  attributed  to  their  preparatory  movements.  But 
Col.  Perkins,  by  the  impulse  of  a  powerful  hand,  sud 
denly  roused  the  community  to  aid  in  the  project,  and 
placed  it  at  once  in  an  advanced  position,  which  other 
wise  it  probably  would  have  required  the  lapse  of 
many  years,  with  arduous  exertions,  to  attain.  At 
that  time,  the  institutions  for  the  blind  in  England 
were  little  more  than  workshops,  affording  hardly  any 

29 


MEMOIR    OF 


instruction  except  for  manual  labor,  and  no  printing, 
though  two  small  books  had  been  printed  in  Scotland. 
But,  through  his  aid  and  advice,  the  means  were 
obtained  and  effectually  applied  for  an  establishment 
on  a  more  liberal  plan,  giving  the  precedence  to  intel 
lectual  and  moral  education.  There  is  little  doubt, 
therefore,  that  a  large  portion  of  the  good  which  has 
been  effected  thus  far  within  the  institution,  and  by 
its  example  elsewhere,  is  the  result  of  his  munificent 
donation,  and  the  wise  condition  which  he  attached 
to  it. 

It  should  be  remarked  here,  however,  to  guard 
against   any  mistake   detrimental  to  the   interest  of 
the  blind,  that,  while  the  pupils  are  placed,  through 
his  means,  rn  a  building  which  might  give  the  impres 
sion  that  its  inhabitants  are  likely  to  be  in  want  of 
nothing,  the  institution  is  by  no  means  richly  en 
dowed.     The  money  that  has  been  liberally  given  has 
been  liberally  spent  in  the  cause  of  education ;  and 
those  who  are  inclined  to  give  or  leave  any  portion  of 
their  wealth  for  the  relief  of  misfortune,  should  be  in 
formed  that  the  blind  still  need,  and  humbly  hope, 
to  be  remembered.     There  can  hardly  be  any  class  of 
persons  to  whom  books,  and  a  large  library  of  books, 
can  afford  so  great  delight  as  those  whose  sources  of 
enjoyment  do  not  include  that  of  sight ;    and  after 
reading,  in  the  report  of  the  juries  on  the  awards  at 
the  exhibition  of  the  Crystal  Palace  in  London,  ten 
close  pages  that  are  devoted  to  the  subject  of  printing 
for   the  blind,  with  an  historical   sketch,  in  which 
marked  prominence  is  given  to  what  has  been  done 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 

at  "THE  PERKINS  INSTITUTION  IN  BOSTON,"  it  can 
hardly  be  heard  without  sorrow  that  the  printing 
there  is  suspended  for  the  want  of  pecuniary  means ; 
and  that  the  publication  of  the  "  Cyclopaedia,"  in 
twenty  volumes,  probably  the  most  valuable  work, 
with  the  exception  of  the  Bible,  that  has  ever  been 
attempted  for  the  blind,  was  necessarily  stopped  with 
the  eighth  volume. 

A  few  extracts  from  that  report,  on  a  subject  so 
deserving  of  interest,  will  hardly  be  out  of  place 
here :  — 

' ( A  few  years  ago,  printing  for  the  blind  was  considered 
only  a  curious  or  doubtful  experiment ;  but  it  is  now  esta 
blished,  beyond  all  question,  that  books  are  true  sources  of 
profit  and  pleasure  to  them.  "Whilst  embossed  books  have 
recently  very  rapidly  increased,  it  is  delightful  to  notice  that 
the  blind  readers  have  multiplied  far  more  rapidly. 

"The  invention  of  printing  for  the  blind  marks  a  new 
era  in  the  history  of  literature.  The  whole  credit  of  this 
invention,  so  simple,  yet  so  marvellous  in  its  results,  be 
longs  to  France.  It  was  Mr.  Valentine  Haiiy  who,  in  1784, 
at  Paris,  produced  the  first  book  printed  with  letters  in 
relief,  and  soon  after  proved  to  the  world  that  children 
might  easily  be  taught  to  read  with  their  fingers.  The  blind 
really  received  but  little  advantage  from  an  invention  that 
promised  so  much.  The  fault,  however,  seems  to  have  been 
not  so  much  in  the  plan  as  in  the  execution  of  it.  This 
noble  invention,  except  perhaps  within  the  walls  of  the 
institution,  soon  sank  into  oblivion,  and  very  little  more  was 
heard  of  it  until  1814.  The  institute  of  Paris,  since  its 
foundation  in  1784,  has  at  times  been  in  a  deplorable  condi 
tion  ;  but  about  the  year  1840  it  underwent  a  thorough 
re-organization,  and  is  now  justly  entitled  to  the  front  rank 
of  institutions  of  this  class  in  Europe. 


228  MEMOIR   OF 

"  It  was  in  Great  Britain  and  in  the  United  States  that 
the  first  improvements  were  made  in  embossed  typography. 
Before  1826,  when  Mr.  James  Gall,  of  Edinburgh,  first  began 
to  turn  his  attention  to  the  intellectual  and  moral  education 
of  the  blind,  it  is  believed  that  not  a  single  blind  person,  in 
any  public  institution  of  this  country  or  America,  could  read 
by  means  of  embossed  characters.  To  Mr.  Gall  is  due  the 
credit  of  reviving  this  art." 

In  1827,  he  published  a  small  volume  for  teaching 
the  art  of  reading  to  the  blind;  and,  in  1834,  he  pub 
lished  the  Gospel  of  St.  John,  and  afterwards  several 
other  books :  but  they  do  not  appear  to  have  been 
generally  used.  It  is  added  in  the  report,  that,  with 
one  exception,  "  it  is  believed  they  are  adopted  by  no 
public  institution  in  Great  Britain." 

I 

"  While  the  puzzling  question  of  an  alphabet  best  adapted 
to  the  fingers  of  the  blind  and  the  eyes  of  their  friends  was 
under  warm  discussion  on  this  side  of  the  Atlantic,  Dr. 
Howe  was  developing  his  system  at  Boston,  in  the  United 
States.  In  1833,  the  Perkins  Institution  for  the  Blind  was 
established  at  Boston;  and  Dr.  S.  G.  Howe,  a  gentleman 
distinguished  through  a  long  series  of  years  for  his  philan 
thropic  labors,  was  placed  at  its  head,  and  soon  made  those 
improvements  and  modifications  which  have  rendered  the 
Boston  press  so  famous.  His  first  aim  was  to  compress 
the  letter  into  a  comparatively  compact  and  cheap  form. 
This  he  accomplished  by  cutting  off  all  the  flourishes  and 
points  about  the  letters.  He  so  managed  that  they  occupied 
but  a  little  more  than  one  space  and  a  half  instead  of  three. 
So  great  was  this  reduction,  that  the  entire  New  Testament, 
which,  according  to  Haiiy's  type,  would  have  filled  nine 
volumes,  and  cost  twenty  pounds,  could  be  printed  in  two 
volumes  for  sixteen  shillings.  Early  in  the  summer  of  1834, 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  229 

he  published. the  Acts  of  the  Apostles.  Indeed,  such  rapid 
progress  did  he  make  in  his  enterprise,  that  by  the  end  of 
1835  he  printed  in  relief  the  whole  of  the  New  Testament, 
for  the  first  time  in  any  language,  in  four  handsome  quarto 
volumes,  comprising  624  pages,  for  four  dollars.  These 
were  published  together  in  1836.  The  alphabet  thus  con 
trived  by  Dr.  Howe  in  1833,  it  appears,  has  never  since  been 
changed. 

"As  the  Boston  books  can  now  be  obtained  in  London  at 
a  price  cheaper  than  any  of  the  five  different  systems  of 
books  printed  in  Great  Britain,  it  is  to  be  hoped  that  they 
will  come  into  general  use  here." 

It  is  then  shown,  by  a  table  of  comparison,  that 
Dr.  Howe's  books  are  much  less  in  bulk,  and  cheaper 
by  more  than  one-half,  than  those  printed  in  any  other 
of  the  six  systems  used  in  the  English  language.  And 
it  is  added,  — 

"  His  system  has  been  fully  described,  and  to  it  the  jury 
give  the  preference  above  all  others.  The  jury  beg  to 
suggest  that  a  uniform  system  should  be  adopted,  and  that, 
in  future,  all  books  printed  for  the  blind  should  be  printed  in 
the  same  character.  Dr.  Howe's  appears  simple,  and  fit  for 
general  adoption." 

In  1835,  Col.  Perkins  went  to  Europe  for  his 
health,  and  travelled  for  some  months  on  the  conti 
nent;  extending  his  tour  afterwards  in  England  and 
Scotland,  where  he  was  accompanied  by  his  friend, 
Joshua  Bates,  Esq.,  of  London,  the  munificent  donor 
of  a  large  fund  for  a  public  library  in  Boston. 

At  that  time,  he  went  into  Italy,  where  he  had 
not  been  before,  and,  as  might  be  supposed,  looked 


230  MEMOIR    OF 

with  lively  interest  on  the  wonders  of  history  and  art 
to  be  seen  there.  An  American  statesman  of  the 
highest  distinction,  who  recently  passed  a  winter  in 
Rome,  mentioned  to  an  acquaintance  who  called  on 
him,  that,  when  he  arrived  there,  he  heard  accidental 
ly,  while  inquiring  for  places  of  residence,  that  a  house 
once  occupied  by  Col.  Perkins  could  be  had,  and  that 
he  lost  no  time  in  securing  that  house,  being  confident 
that  it  had  been  well  chosen;  which,  to  his  great 
comfort,  he  found  to  be  as  he  had  anticipated. 

As  usual,  he  kept  a  journal  while  travelling.  The 
objects  most  likely  to  attract  attention  in  such  a  tour 
have  been  often  described  by  others ;  but  a  few  ex 
tracts,  referring  to  objects  or  incidents  not  usually 
noticed  by  travellers,  may  be  found  interesting :  — 

| 

"Saturday,  July  25th,  1835,  Meaux.  — I  arrived 
here  the  last  evening."  (He  was  then  returning  from 
Italy  and  Germany  towards  Paris.)  "  The  day  was 
hot,  and  the  ground  dry.  I  breakfasted  at  Chalons, 
which  is  a  large  town,  and  celebrated  in  the  olden 
times  as  having  been  the  place  where  Attila  was 
defeated  by  the  Romans,  and,  more  recently,  from  its 
having  been  the  town  where  the  Emperors  of  Russia 
and  Austria,  with  Great  Britain  and  the  others,  as 
sembled  and  made  the  proposition  to  Bonaparte,  in 
his  last  retreat  from  the  North,  to  give  to  France  the 
Rhine  as  its  boundary,  and  which  he  had  the  folly  to 
refuse. 

"  From  Chalons-sur-Marne  to  this  place,  this  useful, 
though  not  very  beautiful,  river  runs  through  a  highly 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  231 

cultivated  valley  the  whole  distance,  and  makes  the 
ride  a  very  interesting  one.     The  hills  are  cropped  to 
their  summits ;   and,  from  the  difference  in  size  of  the 
portions  in  which  are  sown  the  different   kinds  of 
grain  and  other  vegetables,  they  are  as  brilliant  and 
as  various  as  the  figures  shown  through  a  kaleido 
scope.     Chateau  Thierry,  which  was   the   birthplace 
of  La  Fontaine,  is  the  only  large  town  we  have  passed 
through ;  though  many  have  been  in  sight  on  either 
side,  which  show  the  places  where  cultivators  congre 
gate.     The   district  where  the  most   famous  of  the 
Champagne  wines  are  grown  is  quite  small ;  and  many 
tuns  of  wine  have  passed  the  world  over  for  Cham 
pagne,  under  a  misnomer.    I  have  observed  the  villages 
on  this  side  the  French  territory  more  attentively  than 
those  passed  in  going  to  Lyons.     This  was  the  great 
highway  of  armies  going  to  and  returning  from  the 
Rhine.     The  street  is  wide  which  leads  through  them ; 
and,  from  so  many  of  them  being  new,  I  think  the 
present  towns  are  the  sites  on  which  stood,  some  years 
since,  the  old  villages,  with  their  narrow  streets  and 
wretched  houses.     I  was  pondering  on  this  when  the 
post-boys  pulled  up  before  a  very  stately  edifice,  which, 
from  its  appearance,  commanded  respect  and  attention. 
It  is  an  old  Gothic  church,  built  in  the  fourteenth 
century,   and  has   been   honored  with  the  visits   of 
kings  and  princes  through  all  time  since,  and  is  the 
very  odor  of  sanctity.     There  was  nothing  particular 
ly  worthy  of  note   except  a  dead  Christ,  in  marble, 
with  full-length  figures  of  Joseph  of  Arimathea  and 
Nicodemus  at  the  head  and  foot  of  the  body ;  with  the 


MEMOIR    OF 

three  Marys  and  Sarah,  also  large  as  life,  weeping  over 
Him  whom  they  mourned. 

"  I  was  about  to  depart,  when  an  old  woman  offered 
me  a  book,  which  she  said  was  sold  for  the  benefit  of 
the  church,  and  that  it  was  a  history  of  this  Church 
of  Notre  Dame  de  la  Pine,  and  that  all  that  was  stated 
in  the  book  was  true,  and  the  evidence  of  the  fact, 
long  since  deposited  with  the  papers  of  the  church, 
might  be  seen  by  any  one  who  would  take  the  trouble 
to  apply  to  the  authorities.  I  found,  upon  examining 
the  book,  that  the  church  had  not  been  so  much 
visited  for  itself  as  for  the  miracles  which  had  been 
wrought  here.  A  long  description  is  given  of  the 
time  when  the  church  was  built,  in  1472 ;  but  the  in 
teresting  point  is  the  cause  which  induced  the  erection, 
and  designated  the  spot  where  it  was  to  be  placed.  It 
seems,  by  this  historical  account,  that  there  was  near 
this  place  a  small  church,  which  would  not  accommo 
date  the  population ;  and  the  holy  Virgin,  mother  of 
God,  came  to  their  relief.  One  night,  when  some  shep 
herds  were  watching  their  flocks,  they  saw,  at  a  small 
distance  from  where  they  sat,  a  sight ;  upon  approach 
ing  which  they  became  sore  afraid,  and  fled,  —  not, 
however,  before  they  discovered,  in  a  large  bush  of 
thorns,  the  figure  of  the  blessed  mother,  with  the  infant 
Jesus  in  her  arms,  in  the  centre  of  the  bush,  which 
was  on  fire.  The  light  shone  to  a  great  distance. 
The  sheep  took  fright,  and  ran  away ;  but  the  lambs, 
changing  their  natural  timidity  into  courage,  ap 
proached  the  bush ;  which  encouraged  the  shepherds, 
and  many  others,  to  return  and  see  the  miracle ;  and 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £33 

they  attest  to  the  correctness  of  the  report  of  the 
transaction.  The  wonderful  interposition  of  Heaven 
pointed  out  to  the  faithful  the  object  of  this  superna 
tural  appearance,  as  one  that  should  be  commemorated 
by  erecting  a  splendid  church  on  the  spot  where  the 
burning  bush  was  seen. 

"  Charles  VII.  aided  largely  in  the  erection  of  the 
church,  in  accordance  with  the  wishes  of  the  pious 
Louis  XI.,  who,  when  Charles  of  Burgundy  entrapped 
him  at  Peronne,  made  a  vow,  that,  in  case  he  escaped 
from  his  very  dangerous  situation,  he  would  build 
churches,  and  do  other  things  that  should  gratify  the 
Virgin,  to  whom  he  so  often  kneeled;  and  at  the 
same  time  taking  care  to  add,  that  he  would  also  do 
something  to  gratify  himself,  by  making  those  suffer 
who  had  betrayed  him  into  the  scrape.  The  history 
of  the  Cardinal  Bellere  can  tell  how  well  he  per 
formed  his  promise.  The  example  of  Charles  was 
followed  by  many  other  adorers  of  the  Virgin ;  and 
the  pious  determined  to  erect  a  church  worthy  of  the 
blessed  mother.  The  building  was  costly;  and  al 
though  the  subscriptions  and  contributions  were  great, 
yet  the  want  of  funds  was  supplied  by  other  miracles 
which  were  wrought,  and  which  brought  adorers  and 
contributors  from  all  the  Christian  cities.  The  dead 
were  raised;  the  particulars  of  which  are  given  in 
this  most  veracious  account.  Those  who  came  to 
church  on  crutches  went  away  upon  their  ten  toes. 
A  child,  which  had  been  buried  three  days,  was  taken 
from  the  grave,  and  changed  from  decay  to  bloom ; 
but,  either  from  a  want  of  faith  or  from  some  other 

30 


£34  MEMOIR    OF 

cause,  it  finally  went  back  into  the  state  in  which  it 
was  when  taken  from  the  grave.  These  things  are  so 
well  attested,  that  he  who  does  not  believe  them  is 
'little  better  than  one  of  the  wicked.'  The  after- 
miracles  did  the  job  ;  and  the  church  was  finished  in 
a  very  elaborate  manner.  The  sculpture  on  the  out 
side  is  varied,  and  emblematic  of  the  adoration  of  the 
shepherds,  and  the  history  of  the  Virgin.  There  are 
some  figures,  however,  which  are  better  suited  to  a 
brothel  than  a  church ;  but  I  dare  say  they  have  a 
pious  story  to  vindicate  them  from  the  charges  which 
unbelievers  would  bring  against  them. 

"  Sunday,  July  26th.  - —  I  arrived  yesterday  in  Paris, 
and  had  the  pleasure  to  receive  my  letters,  and  to 
learn  that  all  was  well.  I  write  this  from  Mrs. 
Welles's  country-place,  to  which  I  came  to  pass  the 
Sunday. 

"  The  celebration  of  the  three  days  —  27th,  28th, 
and  29th  of  July,  1830  —  is  to  be  got  up  with  more 
than  usual  parade.  The  first  day  is  appropriated  to 
funeral  services  in  the  churches,  in  commemoration 
of  those  who  fell  on  that  day.  Sixteen  girls,  who 
received  a  wedding-present  from  the  city,  are  married 
on  that  day  in  the  City  Hall.  How  they  are  selected, 
or  what  gives  them  the  preference,  I  am  not  aware. 
On  Tuesday  there  is  to  be  a  review  of  the  troops 
of  the  line  and  the  National  Guard,  probably  some 
fifty  or  sixty  thousand,  by  the  king;  and,  as  they 
march  through  the  square  I  am  lodged  in,  it  will  give 
me  a  good  opportunity  of  seeing  them  and  the  king, 
with  his  family,  who  are  to  be  near  the  Hotel  de 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  235 

Bristol.  The  third  day  is  appropriated  to  a  great 
display  of  fireworks  and  illuminations,  for  which 
there  are  great  preparations  in  the  Tuileries,  Champs 
Elysees,  and  other  parts  of  Paris.  As  the  French 
give  fine  exhibitions  of  this  sort,  I  am  glad  to  be 
present. 

"  Monday,  27th.  —  The  day  is  pleasant ;  and,  in 
the  afternoon,  showers,  which  are  favorable  to  the 
military  duties  of  to-morrow. 

"  Tuesday  evening,  28th.  —  This  has  been  an  in 
teresting  day,  and  had  nearly  caused  an  event  which 
might  have  thrown  France  into  a  state  of  great  per 
plexity.  The  custom  is  for  the  troops  to  be  drawn 
up  on  the  Boulevards,  making  a  line  of  one  or  two 
miles,  when  the  king  rides  with  his  staff  down  the 
line,  in  front  of  the  troops,  whilst  thus  drawn  up. 
Having  got  to  the  extreme  left  of  the  line,  he  leaves 
the  Boulevards,  and  comes  to  the  Place  Vendome, 
where  all  the  troops  defile  before  him,  and  receive  the 
marching  salute.  Having  thus  marched  before  his 
majesty,  they  each  go  to  their  cantonment,  and  the 
king  and  his  suite  to  the  Tuileries.  I  had  secured 
windows,  one  of  which  looked  into  the  Rue  Castig- 
lione,  and  the  other  upon  the  Square.  All  the  avenues 
to  the  Square  are  guarded,  to  prevent  any  assemblage 
of  people  there  which  would  interfere  with  the  troops. 
At  twelve  o'clock,  the  king  passed  through  the  Rue 
Castiglione  and  Place  Vendome  to  the  Boulevards  with 
his  sons,  and  the  officers  attached  to  him,  amongst 
whom  were  the  Marechal  Mortier,  Duke  of  Treviso, 
with  the  ministers  De  Broglie  and  Thiers.  At  about 


£36  MEMOITl    OF 

twelve,  the  queen,  and  her  daughters  and  the  ladies  in 
waiting,  came  in  their  carriages  to  the  house  of  the 
chancellor,  and  seated  themselves  in  balconies,  which 
were  covered  with  awnings.  Later,  the  king  with 
his  suite  came  to  the  Place  Vendome,  and,  alight 
ing  from  his  horse,  as  did  those  who  were  with  him, 
went  to  the  apartments  where  the  ladies  were.  A  few 
minutes  afterwards,  the  column  came  in  view  by  the 
Rue  de  la  Paix,  and,  having  paid  the  marching  salute, 
denied  by  the  Eue  Castiglione.  I  observed  a  great 
degree  of  enthusiasm  as  the  National  Guards  —  which 
are  the  militia  of  the  country  —  came  near  to  the 
king.  This  was  unusual,  and  was  observed  by  some 
of  the  Frenchmen  who  were  in  the  room  where  I 
was,  and  who  could  not  account  for  it.  In  many 
cases,  the  common  soldiers  left  their  ranks,  and  ran 
up  to  the  king,  whose  stand  was  near  to  the  right  of 
where  the  platoons  passed,  and  took  him  by  the  hand. 
They  all  cheered,  and  gave  tokens  of  great  excite 
ment.  In  one  case,  a  whole  company  surrounded  the 
king  ;  when,  from  the  movement  of  his  sons,  it 
seemed  that  they  were  alarmed  for  their  father,  and 
rode  towards  him.  We  could  discover  by  their  action 
that  they  wished  him  to  withdraw  a  little  farther  from 
his  loving  subjects ;  but,  so  far  from  doing  this,  he 
rather  advanced  into  the  midst  of  them. 

"  About  this  time,  my  courier  came  to  me  to  say 
that  the  king  had  narrowly  escaped  assassination  by 
an  infernal  machine,  whilst  reviewing  the  troops; 
and  that  the  Marechal  Mortier,  with  some  nine  or 
ten  others  who  were  near  the  king,  was  killed,  and 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  237 

several  wounded.  This  accounted  for  the  enthu 
siasm  of  the  troops,  and  the  return  made  by  the 
king.  His  majesty  narrowly  escaped  one  of  the  balls 
which  were  simultaneously  fired  by  twenty-five  barrels 
placed  on  a  level,  and  a  train  so  laid  as  to  discharge 
all  at  the  same  time,  wounding  his  horse  slightly. 
It  was  within  a  few  seconds  of  laying  the  king  low, 
and  probably  deluging  the  country  in  blood.  We 
had  seen  one  of  the  officers  ride  across  the  Place 
Vendome,  before  the  king  returned  from  the  review, 
with  a  precipitancy  which  seemed  uncalled  for,  and 
for  which  I  could  not  account.  He  stopped  at  the 
place  where  the  ladies  of  the  royal  family  were.  The 
evening  papers  state  that  it  was  an  express  sent  from 
the  king  to  her  majesty,  to  inform  her  of  the  attempt, 
and  his  escape.  The  paper  this  evening  gives  the 
particulars.  All  further  doings  for  the  three  days 
are  given  up,  I  suppose  indefinitely.  The  assassin's 
name  is  Gerard,*  —  thirty-six  years  old.  He  was 
badly  wounded  himself,  and  was  unable  to  speak, 
so  that  we  cannot  yet  get  the  particulars ;  nor  is  it 
known  whether  he  has  associates  or  not.  It  is  proba 
ble  there  are  others  behind  the  curtain,  and  that  the 
poor  instrument  will  be  left  to  suffer  alone. 

"  29th.  —  In  place  of  fireworks  and  other  demon 
strations  of  joy,  every  thing,  it  is  said,  is  to  wear  the 
trappings  of  sorrow.  A  funeral  ceremony  is  said  to 
be  in  preparation. 

"  Harrowgate,  Sept.  6th.  —  We  are  on  our  way  to 
York,  which  we  pass  on  our  route  to  Scotland. 


The  name  was  Fieschi. 


238  MEMOIR    OF 

"  On  Tuesday,  and  the  two  following  days,  there  is 
to  be  a  musical  festival  in  the  Cathedral,  which  will  be 
numerously  attended  by  the  nobility  and  gentry.  One 
of  the  great  attractions  will  be  the  Princess  Victoria, 
who,  if  she  survives  William  IV.,  is  to  be  Queen 
of  England.  The  princess,  with  her  mother  the 
Duchess  of  Kent,  visited  the  Museum  Gardens  to 
day,  where  I  saw  them.  The  future  queen  is  about 
seventeen  years  of  age,  good-looking,  and  in  manners 
very  courteous,  but  not  remarkable  for  her  beauty. 

"  The  road  from  Leeds  here  is  pleasant.  We  passed 
Lord  Harewood's  grounds,  which  are  very  extensive. 
The  ride  through  the  park  was,  for  the  moment, 
interdicted  on  account  of  the  expected  visit  of  the 
princess.  I  walked  to  one  churchyard  to  see  if  there 
was  any  stone  to  mark  the  place  wnere  lie  the  ashes 
of  my  friend,  the  late  Dr.  Gardiner;  but  there  was 
none.  I  shall  inquire  further.* 

"  7th.  —  Rose  early,  with  the  intention  of  learning 
more  respecting  the  resting-place  of  Dr.  Gardiner,  and 
concluded  that  to  visit  the  clergyman  was  the  most 
certain  way  of  effecting  this.  I  went  to  his  house, 
about  a  mile  from  my  lodgings,  and,  upon  inquiry, 
found  the  gentleman  was  ill.  I  told  his  wife  the 
object  of  my  visit,  and  she  made  the  inquiry  I  wished. 
She  told  me  she  was  not  married  at  the  time  of  Dr. 


*  Dr.  John  S.  J.  Gardiner,  Rector  of  Trinity  Church  in  Boston,  who  died  in  England, 
July,  1830,  deeply  lamented  in  America  as  a  distinguished  clergyman  and  an  accomplished 
scholar.  He  was  President  of  the  Literary  Club,  by  whom  the  Boston  Athenaeum  was  founded ; 
and  the  incipient  measures  which  have  produced  a  library  of  sixty  thousand  volumes,  a  build 
ing  probably  more  spacious  and  costly  than  any  other  in  the  United  States  devoted  solely  to 
books  and  the  arts,  with  the  large  funds  for  future  increase  mentioned  in  this  memoir,  were 
all  framed  and  adopted  at  his  house. 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  239 

Gardiner's  death,  but  that  her  husband  remembered 
well  the  melancholy  event.  He  said  the  body  was 
interred  about  two  miles  from  the  spring,  and  that 
the  service  was  read  by  an  Irish  clergyman  residing 
near  the  ground  of  interment.  He  informed  me  that 
the  stone  had  been  erected  which  was  the  particular 
object  of  my  inquiry.  He  spoke  in  high  terms  of 
respect  of  the  memory  of  the  doctor,  and  of  the 
general  sorrow  felt  at  the  event.  The  clergyman  who 
read  the  service  lies  now  at  the  point  of  death." 

Col.  Perkins  returned  from  this  visit  to  Europe 
with  renewed  health,  and,  although  past  seventy 
years  of  age,  engaged  with  characteristic  energy  in 
whatever  attracted  his  attention  favorably;  making 
soon  afterwards  an  arduous  journey  into  the  interior 
of  Pennsylvania,  to  visit  the  mining  region. 

In  1838,  his  commercial  firm  was  dissolved;  and 
he  withdrew  from  business  with  a  large  fortune,  after 
having  been  actively  engaged  in  commerce  for  more 
than  fifty  years,  though  within  the  last  ten  his  per 
sonal  attention  to  its  affairs  had  been  considerably 
relaxed.  His  success  had  been  great,  but  by  no 
means  uninterrupted.  Severe  disappointments  and 
disasters,  from  causes  beyond  his  control,  made  part 
of  his  experience ;  and,  while  he  had  great  confidence 
in  his  own  ability  to  direct,  he  well  knew  the  impor 
tance  of  leaving  as  little  as  possible  to  accident  in  any 
enterprise  that  he  undertook. 

An  instance  of  the  readiness  with  which  he  could 
sometimes  decide  on  the  advantages  to  be  justly  ex- 


£40  MEMOIR    OF 

pected  from  commercial  operations,  when  proposed, 
will  serve  to  show  the  extent  of  his  information,  and 
the  value  of  such  information  in  enabling  those  who 
engage  in  commerce  at  all  to  act  with  clear  discern 
ment,  instead  of  trusting  to  blind  chance  in  specula 
tion.  He  had  used  such  information  and  discernment 
himself  with  striking  effect,  even  so  far  as  to  pause 
in  his  career,  and  stand  somewhat  aside  for  years, 
when  others,  moved  partly  by  an  ambitious  desire  to 
rival  him  in  commerce,  had  sought  to  rise  from  the 
grade  of  successful  dealers  in  purchases  from  his 
cargoes,  and  become  the  owners  of  ships,  import 
ing  cargoes  of  their  own.  Insolvency  and  melan 
choly  oblivion  or  insignificance  have,  since  then,  been 
the  lot  of  most  of  them.  But  wfren  enterprises  re 
quiring  capital,  and,  still  more,  judgment,  beyond 
their  resources  and  capacity,  had  led  them  into  em 
barrassment,  there  necessarily  came  a  pause  on  their 
side,  of  which  he  and  those  who  were  associated  with 
him  took  skilful  advantage  in  a  rapid  succession  of 
voyages  that  have  rarely  had  a  parallel  for  success. 

The  particular  instance  referred  to  was  this :  About 
thirty  years  ago,  the  price  of  coffee,  which  for  a  long 
time  previously  had  been  as  high  as  twenty-five  cents, 
had  declined  to  fifteen  cents  per  pound ;  and  Col.  Per 
kins  being  in  New  York  for  a  day  or  two,  on  a  visit 
to  a  daughter  who  resided  there,  a  wish  was  expressed 
that  it  might  be  suggested  to  him,  that,  the  temporary 
depression  having  made  it  a  fit  subject  for  specula 
tion,  if  he  should  be  disposed  to  engage  in  it  on  the 
extended  scale  to  which  he  was  accustomed,  there 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS. 

was  an  opportunity  to  secure  a  large  quantity  on  even 
more  advantageous  terms.  As  coffee  was  an  article 
out  of  the  line  of  his  usual  operations,  and  not  likely 
to  attract  his  particular  attention,  the  subject  was 
mentioned  to  him  rather  for  entertainment,  in  con 
versing  upon  the  occurrences  of  the  time  and  the 
news  of  the  day,  than  in  the  belief  that  he  would 
give  it  serious  thought.  Without  hesitation,  and  with 
the  ease  and  decision  of  an  able  lawyer  or  surgeon  in 
giving  an  opinion  on  any  case  presented  to  either 
of  them  professionally,  he  answered  to  this  effect :  — 

"  The  depression  in  coffee  is  not  '  temporary.' 
Whoever  makes  purchases  now  at  fourteen  cents,  or 
even  at  thirteen  cents,  will  find  that  he  has  made  a 
mistake,  unless  he  means  to  take  advantage  of  any 
transient  demand  to  dispose  of  it  speedily.  There 
are  more  coffee-trees  now  in  bearing  than  are  suffi 
cient  to  supply  the  whole  world,  by  a  proportion  that 
I  could  state  with  some  precision  if  necessary.  The 
decline  in  price  is  owing  to  accumulation,  which  will 
be  found  to  increase,  particularly  as  there  are  new 
plantations  yet  to  come  forward.  Coffee  will  eventu 
ally  fall  to  ten  cents,  and  probably  below  that,  and 
will  remain  depressed  for  some  years.  The  culture 
of  it  will  be  diminished.  Old  plantations  will  be 
suffered  to  die  out;  and  others  will,  in  some  cases, 
be  grubbed  up,  that  the  land  may  be  converted  to 
new  uses.  At  length,  the  plantations  will  be  found 
inadequate  to  the  supply  of  the  world.  But  it  re 
quires  five  or  six  years  for  the  coffee- tree  to  reach  its 

31 


MEMOIR    OF 


full  bearing.  Time,  of  course,  will  be  required  for 
the  necessary  increase  ;  and  the  stocks  on  hand  will 
be  diminishing  in  the  mean  time.  A  rise  must  follow. 
Whoever  buys  coffee  twelve  or  fifteen  years  hence 
at  the  market  price,  whatever  it  may  be,  will  probably 
find  it  rising  on  his  hands  ;  and  fortunes  may  be  made, 
unless  speculative  movements  shall  have  disturbed 
the  regular  course  of  events." 

With  so  clear  an  outline  for  the  future,  it  was  in 
teresting  to  observe  what  followed.  Coffee  gradually 
fell  to  less  than  ten  cents,  and  remained  low.  One 
consequence,  usual  in  such  cases,  ensued,  —  the  con 
sumption  increased.  Misled,  perhaps,  by  this,  and  an 
impatient  desire  to  be  foremost  in  securing  advantages 
which  by  that  time  were  generally  foreseen,  parties 
began  to  move  in  a  speculative  spirit  about  five  years 
before  the  time  thus  indicated.  They  made  great 
purchases,  and  large  quantities  were  held  in  expecta 
tion  of  profit.  It  was  curious  to  notice  the  action, 
and  hear  the  remarks,  of  various  persons  concerned, 
in  what  ensued,  according  to  their  different  degrees 
of  intelligence  on  a  subject  that  was  not,  even  then, 
fully  understood  by  all.  Coffee  rose  considerably. 
Some  of  them  secured  a  moderate  profit  while  they 
could;  others,  arguing  on  a  crude  belief,  that,  as 
coffee  had  been  at  twenty-five  cents,  there  was  no 
reason  why  it  should  not  attain  that  price  again, 
determined  to  wait  for  far  greater  profits.  The  stimu 
lant  given  to  the  demand,  by  withholding  large  quan 
tities  from  sale,  developed  greater  stocks  than  were 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £43 

supposed  to  exist.  The  movement  was  found  to  be 
premature,  and  coffee  fell  again  in  price.  Immense 
sums  were  lost.  Bankruptcy  followed,  with  many  a 
heartache  that  might  have  been  prevented  by  counsel 
from  one  like  him,  who  had  the  comprehensive  views 
and  thorough  knowledge  that  belong  to  a  complete 
merchant. 

This  unwise  anticipation  somewhat  retarded  and 
diminished  the  well-founded  rise  that  had  been  fore 
told.  But  it  came  at  length,  and  some  moderate 
fortunes  were  made  by  it ;  though  the  dreams  of  the 
speculator,  of  a  return  to  the  high  prices  that  pre 
vailed  in  the  early  part  of  the  century,  have  never 
been  realized. 

After  his  retirement  from  commerce,  Col.  Perkins 
found  sufficient  occupation  in  the  management  of  his 
property ;  in  various  matters  of  a  public  nature  which 
interested  him;  and  in  the  cultivation  of  trees,  and 
particularly  of  fruits  and  flowers,  on  his  estate  at 
Brookline.  He  was  remarkable  for  his  love  of  nature ; 
and,  in  travelling,  sometimes  went  far  out  of  his  way 
to  examine  a  beautiful  tree  or  to  enjoy  an  interesting 
view.  Occasionally  he  made  a  voyage  to  Europe, 
renewing  his  observations  on  the  changes  and  im 
provements  that  were  to  be  seen  there.  He  had 
crossed  the  Atlantic  many  times  besides  the  instances 
that  have  been  referred  to,  always  keeping  a  diary, 
which  he  filled  with  the  incidents  that  occurred, 
with  the  results  of  his  inquiries,  and  with  remarks 
worthy  of  an  intelligent  traveller,  and  sending  home 
works  of  art,  some  of  which  were  bestowed  as  gifts. 


244  MEMOIR    OF 

He  took  a  lively  interest  in  the  progress  and  welfare 
of  American  artists ;  kindly  aiding  some  who  desired 
to  improve  by  studying  the  great  models  in  Europe, 
and  liberally  purchasing  the  works  of  those  who 
deserved  encouragement.  He  was  generally  very 
agreeable  to  those  whom  he  incidentally  met  as  fel 
low-travellers  ;  and,  where  he  became  known  abroad 
as  an  American,  he  left  a  very  favorable  impression 
of  the  character  of  his  countrymen. 

Active  industry  had  been,  and  continued  to  be,  the 
habit  of  his  life.  The  day  with  him  was  well  oc 
cupied,  and  equally  well  ordered.  He  had  long  been 
accustomed  to  rise  early,  to  consider  what  required  his 
attention,  and  to  prepare  so  much  of  what  he  had  to 
do  personally  as  he  could  perform  by  himself,  that 
he  might  meet  the  world  ready  to  decide  and  direct 
promptly  and  clearly.  This  enabled  him  to  transact 
business  with  ease  and  accuracy,  and  made  him  so  far 
master  of  his  time  that  he  found  leisure  for  various 
objects,  both  of  usefulness  and  enjoyment,  as  well  as 
for  courteous  and  kind  attention  to  the  affairs  and 
wishes  of  others,  which  it  might  have  been  supposed 
would  hardly  be  remembered  by  one  so  occupied. 
Each  day  with  him  was  the  illustration  of  a  thought 
which  young  men,  and  particularly  young  men  enter 
ing  on  commercial  life,  will  find  to  be  a  safeguard 
against  precipitation  or  perplexity,  and  against  the  ir 
ritation,  as  well  as  the  miserable  shifts,  to  which  they 
sometimes  lead.  The  action  of  the  mind  in  prepar 
ing  with  calm  foresight  what  is  to  be  done,  before  it  is 
absolutely  necessary,  is  widely  different  from  its  action 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  245 

when  affairs  are  left  until  necessity  presses,  and  the 
powers  are  confused  by  various  calls  on  the  attention 
in  the  midst  of  hurry  and  embarrassment.  What  is 
only  method  in  the  first  case  actually  becomes  a 
faculty,  and  sometimes  passes  for  uncommon  ability, 
of  which  it  has  the  effect.  On  the  other  hand,  some 
men,  who  really  show  great  powers  when  pressed  by 
necessity  for  despatch,  are  in  truth  unable,  without 
being  aware  of  such  a  defect,  to  foresee  and  prepare 
what  they  have  to  do  before  they  feel  the  pressure. 
When  that  ceases,  the  exertion  too  often  ceases  with 
it ;  and  important  matters  are  left  to  be  done  at  some 
future  time,  which  perhaps  are  never  done.  The 
older  they  grow,  the  more  incurable  is  the  evil ;  and 
melancholy  instances  might  be  given  of  bankruptcy 
late  in  life,  after  great  success,  which  might  be  traced 
chiefly  to  this  cause.  It  is  said  that  the  Hon.  Peter 
C.  Brooks,  of  Boston,  who  left  a  large  fortune,  after  a 
life  well  worthy  of  imitation,  on  being  once  asked 
what  rule  he  would  recommend  to  a  young  man  as 
most  likely  to  insure  success,  answered,  "  Let  him 
mind  his  business."  And  to  a  similar  inquiry,  it  has 
been  said  that  Robert  Lenox,  Esq.,  of  New  York, 
well  remembered  as  one  of  the  most  distinguished  and 
estimable  merchants  ever  known  in  that  great  city, 
and  for  his  wide  hospitality,  once  answered,  "  Let  him 
be  beforehand  with  his  business."  One  answer  seems 
to  include  the  other;  as  no  man  can  be  beforehand 
with  his  business,  and  enjoy  the  tranquil  self-posses 
sion  that  accompanies  forecast,  unless  he  minds  it 
unremittingly. 


246  MEMOIR    OF 

At  one  time,  when  Col.  Perkins  had  decided  to 
leave  home  for  some  time  on  a  long  journey  of 
several  thousand  miles  to  the  South  and  West,  ap 
plication  had  been  made  to  him  to  give  his  guaranty 
for  a  considerable  sum,  to  enable  one  whose  welfare 
he  wished  to  promote  to  engage  in  a  commercial  con 
nection  that  seemed  to  offer  great  advantages.  As 
the  magnitude  of  the  affair  required  caution,  it  was 
expected,  of  course,  that,  when  he  had  considered  the 
subject,  explanations  on  various  points  would  be 
necessary  before  he  could  decide  to  give  it;  and  it 
was  intended  to  take  some  favorable  opportunity, 
when  he  might  be  entirely  at  leisure,  to  explain  every 
thing  fully.  Suddenly,  however,  he  found  it  best  to 
commence  the  journey  a  week  \or  two  sooner  than 
had  been  mentioned ;  and  engagements  of  various 
kinds,  previously  made,  so  occupied  him  in  the  short 
interval  left,  that  there  seemed  to  be  no  time  for  offer 
ing  such  explanation  without  danger  of  intruding; 
and  the  hope  of  obtaining  his  aid  at  that  time,  in  an 
affair  that  required  prompt  action,  was  given  up. 
The  applicant  called  at  his  house  half  an  hour  before 
he  was  to  go,  merely  to  take  leave,  knowing  that  the 
haste  of  departure  in  such  cases  usually  precludes 
attention  to  any  matters  requiring  deliberation.  On 
entering  the  room,  however,  he  found  there  was  no 
appearance  of  haste.  All  preparations  for  the  journey 
had  been  entirely  completed  in  such  good  season,  that 
the  last  half-hour  seemed  to  be  one  entirely  of  leisure 
for  any  thing  that  might  occur.  After  a  little  chat, 
Col.  Perkins  introduced  the  subject  himself,  and  made 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  247 

pertinent  inquiries ;  which  being  answered  satisfacto 
rily,  he  gave  the  guaranty,  and  very  kindly  added  a 
further  facility,  by  allowing,  until  his  return,  the  use 
of  a  considerable  sum  of  money  which  he  was  leaving 
in  the  bank.  The  arrangements  were,  in  consequence, 
completed  the  next  day.  They  proved,  in  the  result, 
to  be  eminently  successful :  all  pledges  were  redeemed ; 
his  guaranty  was  cancelled  in  due  course,  without  the 
slightest  cost  or  inconvenience  to  him ;  and  the  person 
whom  he  wished  to  oblige  received  very  large  profits, 
which  happily  influenced  the  remainder  of  his  life, 
and  which  he  perhaps  might  never  have  enjoyed, 
if  that  last  half-hour  before  the  journey  had  been 
hurried. 

When  doing  an  act  of  kindness  like  this,  he  seemed 
to  derive  great  pleasure  from  the  consciousness  that 
the  action  of  his  life  had  given  him  the  power  to  pro 
duce  such  results  by  the  single  influence  of  his  name ; 
from  all  proofs,  too,  which  followed,  that  he  had 
decided  correctly  in  bestowing  his  confidence  where 
he  believed  it  to  be  deserved ;  and  from  indulging  an 
impulse  of  his  nature  that  prompted  him  to  diffuse 
happiness  where  he  had  the  opportunity. 

Numerous  instances  might  be  given  of  his  kindness 
in  promoting  the  success  of  others,  and  particularly 
of  young  men  engaging  in  voyages  or  other  commer 
cial  enterprises;  and  he  always  showed  a  warm  in 
terest  in  the  Mercantile  Library  Association  of  Young 
Men  in  Boston,  to  whom  he  made  a  donation  to  aid 
in  the  erection  of  a  building. 

In  a  general  view  of  his  character,  he  appeared 


£48  MEMOIR    OF 

as  exercising  the  influence  of  one  having  a  nice  sense 
of  propriety  with  reference  to  the  opinion  of  others, 
love  of  order,  a  high  standard  of  action,  and  a  desire 
to  promote  whatever  tended  to  general  advantage 
and  respectability,  with  such  steadiness  of  purpose  as 
gave  power  to  his  example.  His  manners,  formed  in 
an  age  of  ceremony  which  has  passed,  retained  some 
thing  of  its  courteous  dignity,  divested  of  what  was 
artificial,  and  united  with  the  ease  of  our  own  time. 

As  a  leader  of  the  Federal  party,  that  party  which 
sustained  the  administration  of  Washington  and 
transmitted  its  principles,  he  had  personally  known 
most  of  the  distinguished  men  of  the  country  who 
belonged  to  the  period  next  succeeding  the  Revolution, 
and  was  intimate  with  many  of  them.  He  had  thus 
enjoyed  the  advantages  of  intercourse  with  eminent 
statesmen  who  had  aided  in  giving  the  present  form 
to  the  government  of  the  Union,  or  in  directing  its 
early  action ;  among  whom  the  high  principles  and 
the  resolute  decision  of  his  own  political  character 
made  him  a  welcome  associate. 

His  personal  appearance  so  far  indicated  his  charac 
ter,  that  an  observer  of  any  class  who  saw  him  for 
the  first  time  was  very  likely  to  be  impressed  with  a 
desire  to  know  who  that  personage  might  be.  "A 
very  noble-looking  man  !  "  said  a  young  woman  who 
was  called  to  fetch  him  a  glass  of  water  when  he 
stopped  one  day  at  the  house  of  a  friend  some  miles 
from  town.  "  Ce  beau  vieillard  ! "  —  that  beautiful 
old  man !  —  exclaimed  the  wife  of  a  foreign  ambassa 
dor,  in  speaking  of  his  reception  of  her  at  his  country- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £49 

seat,  when  some  one  was  showing  her  the  environs 
of  Boston.  And,  in  repeated  instances,  foreigners  of 
rank  have  remarked  in  a  similar  tone  on  his  person, 
and  the  high-bred  courtesy  of  his  manner. 

Great  personal  strength  and  entire  self-reliance 
made  him  almost  heedless  of  danger,  in  the  full  con 
fidence  that  he  had  the  power  and  the  presence  of 
mind  to  do  just  the  right  thing  at  the  right  moment  ; 
and  he  had,  at  different  times,  some  remarkable 
escapes.  On  one  occasion,  when  driving  towards 
town  over  a  road  made  in  one  part  on  the  slope  of  a 
hill,  with  a  steep  bank  on  one  side,  and  a  descent, 
guarded  by  a  wall,  on  the  other,  some  object  fell  from 
the  top  of  the  bank  on  his  right  so  suddenly  that  his 
horse,  a  powerful  animal,  sprang  to  the  opposite  side, 
and  dashed  into  a  run.  Close  before  him  was  the  stiff 
branch  of  a  large  apple-tree,  projecting  over  that  side 
of  the  road,  at  about  the  level  of  his  waist  as  he  sat. 
He  leaped  at  once  from  his  seat  over  the  wall,  alight 
ing  unhurt  in  the  orchard  below ;  and,  in  an  instant, 
the  top  was  swept  from  the  vehicle  in  a  manner  that 
must  have  proved  fatal  to  himself  if  he  had  remained 
in  it  a  moment  longer. 

Though  fond  of  social  intercourse,  his  opinions 
were  often  conveyed  in  monosyllables,  or  short  and 
terse  expressions ;  and  he  was  more  inclined,  whether 
abroad  or  at  his  own  table,  to  promote  conversation 
in  others  than  to  talk  much  himself.  But  he  listened 
with  attention,  and  contributed  readily,  from  the  stores 
of  his  experience  and  knowledge,  whatever  occurred 
to  him  as  interesting,  —  occasionally  introducing  an 


32 


250  MEMOIR    OF 

anecdote  with  striking  effect,  but  rather  as  if  he  were 
stating  a  fact  than  telling  a  story.  He  used  language 
with  precision ;  his  expressions  were  concise ;  and  his 
words  carried  the  full  force  that  belonged  to  them, 
all  the  more  because  there  was  no  attempt  to  exagge 
rate  their  true  and  precise  meaning.  The  instances 
that  he  gave  were  usually  such  as  had  occurred  with 
in  his  own  knowledge  in  reference  to  remarkable 
events  or  distinguished  men ;  and  most  of  them  might 
well  have  found  place  in  history  or  biography.  But 
occasionally  he  related  incidents  of  an  amusing  cha 
racter,  such  as  the  following,  and  in  a  manner  that 
afforded  great  entertainment. 

In  one  of  his  early  visits  to  London,  Stuart,  the  cele 
brated  portrait-painter,  whom  ^  he  knew  well,  resided 
there,  occupying  apartments  as  a  bachelor,  with  a  boy 
to  attend  him.  One  day,  Stuart  sent  the  boy  with  a 
message  to  a  man  of  rank,  to  say  that  he  could  com 
ply  with  a  request  to  give  him  a  sitting,  if  he  would 
come  at  a  certain  hour.  The  boy  went  off,  accom 
panied  by  a  large  and  favorite  dog  of  his  master's, 
but  did  not  return  at  the  time  expected ;  and  Stuart 
waited,  receiving  no  answer,  until  he  found  that  the 
forenoon  was  lost.  He  then  went  out  to  take  his 
usual  walk ;  and  as  he  strolled  on,  finding  himself  in 
that  part  of  the  city  where  the  mother  of  the  boy 
resided,  he  made  her  a  visit,  and  inquired  whether 
her  son  ever  came  to  see  her.  "  Oh,  yes ! "  she  said : 
he  had  been  there  that  morning,  with  a  great '  dog, 
both  of  them  full  of  mischief;  and  there  had  been 
such  a  time !  First,  they  discovered  a  piece  of  beef- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £51 

steak  intended  for  her  dinner,  which,  after  great 
struggles,  the  dog  had  been  suffered  to  devour.  Then, 
in  a  scene  of  frolic  and  riot,  they  had  upset  her  wash- 
tub,  and  had  just  gone  off.  He  desired  the  woman 
not  to  mention  his  own  visit  to  her ;  and  on  returning 
home,  and  inquiring  what  was  the  answer  brought, 
was  told  by  the  boy  that  he  had  been  unable  to  find 
the  place,  having  lost  his  way,  and  got  back  as  he 
could ;  to  all  which  he  said  nothing,  except  as  a  slight 
caution  to  be  more  attentive  to  the  direction  in  future. 
Soon  afterwards,  his  dinner  was  brought,  as  usual, 
from  a  chop-house,  and  the  boy  took  his  accus 
tomed  stand  opposite  to  him;  while  the  dog  placed 
himself  at  his  side,  expecting  an  occasional  mouthful. 
In  due  course,  Stuart,  taking  a  piece  of  juicy  meat  on 
his  fork,  held  it  towards  the  dog ;  but,  after  looking 
at  him  for  a  moment,  suddenly  drew  back  with  well- 
feigned  surprise,  exclaiming,  "  How  is  this  ]  What ! 
dined  already  ?  "  And  he  looked  earnestly  at  the  boy, 
who  became  alarmed.  Turning  again  to  the  dog, 
with  the  meat  still  withheld  over  him,  he  said,  "  Ah  ] 
and  beef-steak !  Is  it  possible  ? "  Casting  an  angry 
and  searching  look  at  intervals  towards  the  boy,  he 
went  on :  "  What !  a  wash-tub  1  —  and  upset  it  too  ]  " 
He  at  length  turned  back  to  the  table;  and,  laying 
the  fork  on  his  plate,  folded  his  arms,  and  looked 
intently  at  the  culprit.  The  boy,  aghast  at  these 
supernatural  disclosures,  as  they  seemed,  from  the 
dog,  confessed  the  whole,  making  solemn  promises 
for  his  future  behavior,  which  became  exemplary. 
The  pretended  wonder  of  the  artist,  the  eagerness 


MEMOIR    OF 


and  disappointment  of  the  dog,  and  the  conscience- 
stricken  amazement  of  the  boy,  were  all  presented  in 
vivid  light,  while  he  only  seemed  to  be  mentioning 
casually  what  had  occurred. 

The  following  is  an  incident  of  a  different  charac 
ter,  which  occurred  in  the  National  Convention  during 
the  French  revolution,  and  of  which  he  was  an  eye 
witness.  He  related  it  with  great  effect.  Soon  after 
the  death  of  Robespierre,  one  of  his  former  associates 
proposed  a  sanguinary  law ;  which  was  objected  to,  by 
a  member  who  had  been  a  butcher,  as  unnecessarily 
cruel.  The  deputy  who  proposed  it  said,  with  a  sneer, 
that  he  had  not  looked  for  such  fine  sentiments  from 
one  whose  trade  had  been  blood.  The  butcher,  a 
burly,  powerful  man,  starting  to  his  feet  as  if  he 
would  destroy  his  opponent,  exclaimed,  "  Scelerat ! 
scelerat !  Je  n'ai  jamais  trempe  mes  mains  que  dans 
le  sang  des  animaux.  Sentez  les  votres ! "  * 

It  has  been  thought  that  he  showed  a  lack  of  dis 
cernment  in  judging  of  character.  Whatever  might 
be  the  truth  as  to  any  defect  of  that  sort,  it  rarely,  if 
ever,  appeared  in  making  unjust  imputations,  but 
rather  in  giving  others  credit  for  good  qualities  which 
they  did  not  possess.  Although  he  used  strong  terms 
in  condemning,  on  some  occasions,  what  he  disap 
proved,  he  seldom  spoke  in  disparagement  of  any 
one ;  and,  if  he  listened,  it  was  with  no  indication  of 
pleasure  at  hearing  any  thing  to  the  disadvantage  of 
others.  There  certainly  were  cases  in  which  he  found 

*  "  Wretch !  wretch  that  you  are !  I  have  never  imbrued  my  hands  but  in  the  blood  of 
beasts.  Smell  of  your  own  !  " 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  253 

that  his  confidence  had  been  misplaced;  but,  as  he 
was  not  apt  to  communicate  his  motives  fully,  it  was 
not  clear  whether  it  arose  entirely  from  error  of  judg 
ment,  or  partly  from  a  readiness  to  take  risks  of 
which  he  was  aware.  In  some  instances,  he  misun 
derstood  the  intentions  or  difficulties  and  embarrass 
ments  of  others,  and  occasionally  spoke  with  warmth 
where  he  supposed  there  was  just  cause  for  displea 
sure,  though  he  was  more  likely  to  be  quite  silent  at 
such  times ;  but  no  one  was  more  ready  than  he  to 
make  reparation,  if  it  were  explained  to  him  that  he 
had  been  unjust.  Probably  he  was  supposed  to  be 
unfriendly  in  other  instances,  when  he  would  have 
appeared  to  be  entirely  kind  if  he  had  talked  more 
freely.  His  nature  was  affectionate,  appearing  par 
ticularly  so  towards  children ;  and  many  of  them  were 
his  intimate  friends,  habitually  exchanging  with  him 
the  liveliest  pleasantry  with  perfect  freedom. 

It  is  not  uncommon  with  those  whose  feelings  are 
characterized  by  great  energy,  as  his  were,  that,  from 
an  apprehension,  perhaps,  lest  strong  emotion  might 
escape  control  if  expressed  in  any  degree  whatever,  it 
is  guarded  with  such  entire  suppression  and  reserve, 
that  they  seem  to  those  around  them  almost  to  have 
no  feeling  at  all,  when,  in  truth,  they  feel  most  deeply. 
A  striking  instance  of  this  nature  may  be  mentioned 
of  him. 

The  death  of  his  eldest  son,  who  was  named  for 
him,  and  in  person,  as  well  as  in  some  points  of 
character,  bore  a  strong  natural  resemblance  to  him 
self,  occurred  about  four  years  before  his  own.  They 


£54  MEMOIR    OF 

differed  in  character,  as  the  son  of  a  widow,  moved  by 
strong  incitements  to  assist  in  relieving  her  of  care, 
and  to  secure  his  own  advancement  in  the  world, 
might  be  very  likely  to  diifer  from  one  born  to  the 
enjoyment  and  expectation  of  wealth,  and  advancing 
in  youth  under  the  auspices  of  a  parent  who  stood 
high  in  public  estimation,  and  possessed  powerful 
influence.  Like  his  father,  he  had  preferred  action  to 
the  life  of  a  student,  and  went  early  abroad,  having 
sailed  for  China,  during  the  war  of  1812,  in  a  private 
armed  ship,  that  was  prepared  to  fight  her  way  for  a 
rich  cargo,  as  was  successfully  done ;  and  he  took 
part  in  one  bloody  naval  action,  besides  other  encoun 
ters.  Daring  in  spirit,  of  a  buoyant  and  generous 
temper,  and  eminently  handsdme,  he  was  a  favorite 
abroad,  particularly  among  the  officers  of  our  public 
ships  as  he  met  them  in  foreign  ports ;  and  he  had 
seen  much  of  the  world,  with  various  adventures,  in 
China,  in  South  America,  and  in  Europe. 

He  eventually  joined  his  father's  commercial  house 
in  Boston,  and,  after  a  few  years  of  remarkable  suc 
cess,  withdrew  with  a  good  fortune,  and  lived  in 
affluence  and  leisure,  amusing  himself  with  field 
sports,  of  which  he  was  fond,  and  varying  his  life  by 
an  occasional  tour  in  Europe.  After  rearing  a  beau 
tiful  family,  he  fell  the  victim  of  a  distressing  illness, 
and  died  in  the  prime  of  life. 

At  his  funeral,  his  father  appeared  tranquil  as 
usual,  advising  on  some  matters  of  detail ;  and,  hav 
ing  followed  the  hearse  to  the  place  of  interment, 
chose,  rather  against  the  suggestions  of  those  near 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  255 

him,  to  descend  to  the  tomb  under  the  church,  that 
he  might  see  that  all  was  arranged  as  he  had  intended. 
But  when  nothing  more  remained  to  be  done ;  when 
the  single  lamp,  by  the  light  of  which  the  coffin  had 
been  adjusted  in  its  place,  was  withdrawn,  and  the 
door  was  closed  in  darkness  and  silence  on  all  that 
remained  of  one  who  had  been  the  object  of  so  deep 
interest  from  infancy  upward,  —  nature  prevailed,  for 
one  moment  only,  over  all  restraint,  and  an  involun 
tary  burst  of  grief  disclosed  the  depth  of  sorrow  that 
remained  beneath  the  habitual  composure  of  his 
manner. 

About  two  years  after  this,  the  death  of  Mrs.  Per 
kins  took  place ;  and  the  dissolution  of  a  tie  which 
had  continued  for  sixty-three  years  had  a  visible  effect 
on  him.  His  younger  brother,  Samuel  G.  Perkins, 
Esq.,  had  died  blind,  past  the  age  of  eighty.  His 
own  sight  was  failing.  Of  all  the  family  left  by  his 
father,  he  and  two  sisters  only  remained.  His  friend 
through  life,  the  Hon.  Harrison  Gray  Otis,  was  dead. 
The  companions  of  his  youth  and  middle  age  were 
nearly  all  gone.  Of  the  association  remembered  as 
the  "  Saturday  Club,"  consisting  of  some  of  the  most 
distinguished  gentlemen  of  the  town  in  their  day,  — 
who,  while  they  found  mutual  enjoyment  in  dining 
successively  at  the  houses  of  each  other,  gave  hospita 
ble  admission  to  such  strangers  as  deserved  attention, 
—  only  two  survived  besides  himself.  The  impression 
had  long  been  habitual  with  him,  that  the  close  of  his 
own  life  was  near ;  and  he  awaited  it  with  tranquillity. 
He  had  lived  as  he  thought  it  was  right  to  do.  There 


256  MEMOIR    OF 

appears  to  have  been  no  period  in  which  he  had  been 
inclined  to  vice  of  any  sort.  His  life  was  marked  by 
self-control.  But,  besides  that,  he  seems  to  have  had 
an  innate  purity  and  love  of  order  that  made  excess 
distasteful  to  him.  In  the  order  of  events,  he  had 
found  the  enjoyment,  and  incurred  the  responsibility, 
of  great  success  in  the  acquisition  of  property ;  and 
he  had  shared  it  freely  with  the  community  in  which 
he  lived,  —  his  gifts  and  contributions  continuing 
numerous  to  the  last. 

He  had  become  feeble,  and  moved  with  difficulty. 
But  an  indomitable  spirit,  which  remained  ready  for 
action  still,  if  any  thing  was  to  be  done,  carried  him 
once  more  from  home  as  far  as  Washington.  This 
spirit  had  long  before  borne  him  through  some  pas 
sages  of  ill  health,  that  might  have  proved  fatal  if  it 
had  not  been  that  the  energy  with  which  his  mind 
opened  itself  to  excitement  and  pleasure  always  im 
parted  corresponding  vigor  to  his  physical  frame  in  a 
remarkable  degree. 

Twenty-five  years  before,  being  greatly  debilitated 
after  a  severe  illness,  he  had  resolved  to  try  the  effect 
of  a  voyage  to  England,  though  some  of  his  friends 
feared  that  he  might  never  return ;  and  he  sailed  with 
his  nephew  and  friend,  Mr.  Gushing,  in  a  new  ship 
belonging  to  his  house.  He  was  so  weak  that  it  was 
necessary  to  assist  him,  almost  to  lift  him,  on  board 
the  vessel ;  but,  becoming  immediately  interested  in 
the  management  of  the  ship,  and  in  getting  to  sea, 
when  the  pilot  left  them  in  the  outer  harbor  he  was 
already  better  for  the  excitement.  He  continued  to 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  257 

improve  during  the  voyage,  and  returned  in  vigorous 
health. 

A  few  years  afterwards,  being  again  reduced  to  much 
the  same  state,  he  left  Boston  for  New  York,  to  em 
bark  for  Europe  in  company  with  his  eldest  son  (who 
thought  it  unsafe  that  his  father  should  sail  without 
his  personal  care),  and  with  his  grandson,  —  three  of 
the  name.  He  went  from  home  so  enfeebled  that 
his  family  doubted  whether  he  could  reach  New  York 
in  a  condition  to  be  carried  on  board  the  packet  (it 
was  before  the  day  of  steamships) ;  and  they  were 
surprised  to  learn,  after  waiting  with  solicitude,  that 
he  was  so  well  after  the  journey  as  to  accompany  his 
friend  Mr.  Otis,  whom  he  met  there  on  his  arrival, 
to  the  theatre  in  the  evening. 

After  the  decease  of  Mrs.  Perkins,  some  important 
business  in  which  he  was  concerned  required  attention 
at  Washington  ;  and,  his  courageous  spirit  still  rising 
above  the  infirmities  of  age,  he  made  one  more  jour 
ney  there,  resolved  to  see  to  it  himself.  While  there, 
he  was  concerned  to  find  that  labor  was  likely  to  be 
suspended  on  the  monument  to  the  memory  of  Wash 
ington.  On  his  return  home,  he  took  measures  to 
rouse  fresh  interest  in  the  work ;  and  a  considerable 
sum  was  raised  for  it  through  his  exertions.  His 
action  in  reference  to  this  has  been  publicly  alluded 
to,  since  his  decease,  by  the  Hon.  Robert  C.  Win- 
throp,  late  Speaker  of  the  House  of  Representatives 
in  Congress,  who,  at  the  close  of  an  eloquent  speech 
addressed  to  the  Massachusetts  Charitable  Mechanic 

33 


£58  MEMOIR    OF 

Association,  at  their  annual  festival  in  Faneuil  Hall 
in  October,  1854,  spoke  as  follows:  — 

"  The  memory  of  your  excellent  and  lamented  president 
(Mr.  Chickering)  has  already  received  its  appropriate  and 
feeling  tribute.  I  can  add  nothing  to  that ;  but  I  will  ven 
ture  to  recall  to  your  remembrance  another  venerated  name. 
You  have  alluded,  in  the  sentiment  which  called  me  up,  to 
an  humble  service  which  I  rendered  some  years  ago,  as  the 
organ  of  the  Representatives  of  the  Union,  at  the  laying  of 
the  corner-stone  of  the  national  monument  to  Washington. 
I  cannot  but  remember  that  the  latest  efforts  in  this  quarter 
of  the  country  to  raise  funds  for  the  completion  of  that  monu 
ment  were  made  by  one  whose  long  and  honorable  life  has 
been  brought  to  a  close  within  the  past  twelve  months. 

"  I  cannot  forget  the  earnest  and  affectionate  interest  with 
which  that  noble-hearted  old  American  gentleman  devoted 
the  last  days  —  and  I  had  almost  said  the  last  hours  —  of  his 
life  to  arranging  the  details  and  the  machinery  for  an  appeal 
to  the  people  of  Massachusetts  in  behalf  of  that  still  unfi 
nished  structure.  He  had  seen  Washington  in  his  boyhood, 
and  had  felt  the  inspiration  of  his  majestic  presence ;  he  had 
known  him  in  his  manhood,  and  had  spent  two  or  three  days 
with  him,  by  particular  invitation,  at  Mount  Vernon,  —  days 
never  to  be  forgotten  in  any  man's  life ;  his  whole  heart 
seemed  to  be  imbued  with  the  warmest  admiration  and  affec 
tion  for  his  character  and  services ;  and  it  seemed  as  if  he 
could  not  go  down  to  his  grave  in  peace  until  he  had  done 
something  to  aid  in  perpetuating  the  memory  of  his  virtues 
and  his  valor.  I  need  not  say  that  I  allude  to  the  late  Hon. 
Thomas  Handasyd  Perkins.  He  was  one  of  the  noblest  spe 
cimens  of  humanity  to  which  our  city  has  ever  given  birth, 
—  leading  the  way  for  half  a  century  in  every  generous  en 
terprise,  and  setting  one  of  the  earliest  examples  of  those 
munificent  charities  which  have  given  our  city  a  name  and 
a  praise  throughout  the  earth.  He  was  one  of  your  own 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £59 

honorary  members,  Mr.  President ;  and  I  have  felt  that  I 
could  do  nothing  more  appropriate  to  this  occasion,  —  the 
first  public  festive  occasion  in  Faneuil  Hall  which  has  oc 
curred  since  his  death,  —  and  nothing  more  agreeable  to  the 
feelings  of  this  association  or  to  my  own,  than  to  propose  to 
you,  as  I  now  do,  — 

"  The  memory  of  THOMAS  HANDASYD  PERKINS." 

For  a  long  time,  he  had  been  deprived  of  the  use 
of  one  of  his  eyes,  which  was  blinded  by  cataract, 
how  long  he  could  not  tell  with  accuracy,  —  for  the 
discovery  that  it  was  useless,  and  that  he  saw  only 
with  the  other,  was  made  by  accident,  and  much  to  his 
surprise,  —  but  it  must  have  been  more  than  twenty 
years.  Opening  it  one  morning  while  the  right  eye 
was  buried  in  the  pillow,  he  found  himself  unable  to 
perceive  any  objects  about  him.  For  many  years, 
however,  he  saw  well  enough  for  common  purposes 
with  the  other  ;  but,  more  recently,  even  that  one  had 
caused  him  so  much  trouble  that  he  lived  in  fear  of 
total  blindness.  Early  in  1853,  cataract  appeared  in 
that  eye  also,  and  was  making  such  rapid  progress 
that  in  a  few  weeks  all  useful  vision  was  lost.  Under 
these  circumstances,  he  resolved  to  submit  to  an  ope 
ration  on  the  one  that  had  been  so  long  obscured.  It 
was  successfully  performed  by  Dr.  H.  W.  Williams,  of 
Boston,  the  cataract  being  broken  up  in  the  month 
of  March.  Some  time  was  necessary  for  the  complete 
absorption  of  the  fragments ;  but,  in  less  than  three 
months,  the  pupil  had  become  entirely  clear,  and,  by 
the  aid  of  cataract-glasses,  he  could  not  only  see  large 
objects  as  well  as  ever,  but  could  read  the  newspapers, 


260  MEMOIR    OF 

and  even  the  fine  print  in  the  column  of  ship-news. 
His  sight  was  at  times  rendered  feeble  afterwards  by 
the  general  debility  of  his  system,  and  he  never 
recovered  the  power  of  reading  and  writing  with 
entire  ease;  but  to  do  both  in  some  degree  was  an 
advantage,  in  comparison  with  total  loss  of  sight,  that 
could  hardly  be  appreciated,  particularly  as  it  enabled 
him  still  to  manage  his  own  affairs,  which  he  always 
wished  to  do,  and  did  to  his  last  day,  —  even  keeping 
his  bpoks  with  his  own  hand,  except  for  a  few  months 
of  his  last  year,  when  the  entries  were  made  from  his 
dictation. 

In  this,  the  last  year  of  his  life,  he  gave  one  more 
remarkable  proof  of  his  continued  interest  in  what 
was  going  on  about  him,  and  W"  his  readiness  to  aid 
liberally  in  all  that  he  deemed  important  to  public 
welfare  and  intelligence.  A  large  and  costly  building 
had  been  erected  for  the  Boston  Athenaeum,  by  con 
tribution  from  the  public,  liberally  made  for  that 
purpose,  that  there  might  be  such  a  one  as  would 
correspond  to  the  aspirations  of  the  accomplished 
scholars,  who,  fifty  years  before,  had  founded  the 
institution.  A  fund  was  now  to  be  provided  for 
annual  expenses,  and  for  regular  additions  to  the 
library.  With  this  view,  an  effort  was  made  to  raise 
a  fund  of  one  hundred  and  twenty  thousand  dollars. 
As  Col.  Perkins  had  already  done  a  great  deal  for  the 
Athenaeum,  no  application  was  made  to  him  for  fur 
ther  aid.  He,  however,  voluntarily  asked  for  the 
book  containing  the  largest  class  of  subscriptions, 
and  added  his  name  to  those  contributing  three  thou- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  261 

sand  dollars  each.  Soon  afterwards,  he  inquired  of 
the  President  of  the  Athenaeum  what  progress  had 
been  made,  and  was  told  that  the  subscriptions 
amounted  to  eighty  thousand  dollars,  —  all  of  them 
being,  however,  on  the  condition  that  the  full  sum 
should  be  made  up  within  the  year ;  that  every 
thing  possible  seemed  to  have  been  done ;  but  that, 
as  people  were  leaving  town  for  the  summer,  nothing 
further  could  be  obtained  until  the  autumn ;  and  that 
it  was  doubtful  whether  the  object  could  be  effected 
even  then,  by  raising  forty  thousand  dollars  more,  as 
the  applications  appeared  to  have  been  thoroughly 
made  by  a  numerous  committee.  He  then  gave  his 
assurance  that  the  attempt  should  not  be  suffered  to 
fail,  even  for  so  large  a  deficit  as  that,  and  agreed  to 
be  responsible  for  it,  in  order  that  the  subscriptions 
already  obtained  might  be  made  binding ;  stipulating 
only  that  nothing  should  be  said  of  this  until  the  expi 
ration  of  the  last  day  fixed,  and  that  the  efforts  to  ob 
tain  it  from  the  public  should  not  be  at  all  relaxed  in 
the  mean  time.  Further  assistance  from  him,  however, 
was  rendered  unnecessary,  chiefly  by  the  noble  be 
quest  of  Samuel  Appleton,  Esq.,  a  man  of  liberality 
and  benevolence  like  his  own,  who  died  during  the 
summer,  leaving  the  sum  of  two  hundred  thousand 
dollars  to  trustees,  to  be  distributed,  at  their  discre 
tion,  for  scientific,  literary,  religious,  or  charitable 
purposes.  The  trustees  appropriated  twenty-five  thou 
sand  dollars  of  this  to  the  fund  for  the  Athenseum; 
and  the  remaining  sum  of  fifteen  thousand  dollars 
was  easily  obtained  by  further  subscriptions  at  large. 


MEMOIR    OF 

But  the  assurance  given  by  Col.  Perkins,  although 
any  call  on  him  thus  became  unnecessary,  was  useful 
in  warranting  that  confidence  of  success  which  helps, 
in  such  cases,  to  secure  it. 

In  January  following  (1854),  he  found  it  necessary 
to  submit  to  a  slight  surgical  operation,  for  the  remo 
val  of  some  obstruction  that  troubled  him.  He  had 
passed  most  of  the  day — the  9th  —  in  attending  to  his 
domestic  payments  for  the  preceding  year ;  arranging 
the  papers  himself,  with  his  usual  method  in  business. 
The  operation  was  successfully  performed  by  Dr.  Cabot, 
his  grandson ;  and  he  went  to  bed  with  the  agreeable 
prospect  of  finding  himself  relieved  for  the  remainder 
of  his  life  of  what  had,  for  some  time,  made  him 
uncomfortable, — but  with  a  caution,  too,  from  his 
surgeon,  not  to  rise  the  next  morning,  but  remain 
in  perfect  quiet.  In  such  matters,  however,  he  had 
habitually  judged  and  chosen  to  act  for  himself;  and 
in  this  instance  he  gave  too  little  heed  to  the  caution, 
—  refusing,  too,  to  have  any  attendant  in  his  chamber, 
as  had  been  recommended.  He  passed  a  good  night  ; 
and,  feeling  only  too  well  after  it,  chose  to  rise  rather 
early  the  next  day.  After  being  partly  dressed,  be 
coming  faint,  he  was  obliged  to  lie  down  on  the  sofa, 
and  never  left  it.  He  became  more  and  more  feeble 
through  the  day ;  and,  falling  into  a  state  of  uncon 
sciousness  towards  evening,  he  continued  to  breathe 
for  some  hours,  sleeping  without  pain  or  distress,  and 
died  tranquilly  on  the  morning  of  the  llth,  soon  after 
midnight,  in  the  ninetieth  year  of  his  age. 

The  impression  of  his  character  left  on  the  com- 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  £63 

munity  was  such  as  had  been  sketched  a  short  time 
before  —  in  language  that  hardly  admits  of  improve 
ment,  and  needs  no  addition  —  by  the  Hon.  Daniel 
Webster,  in  a  note  written  with  his  own  hand  on 
the  blank  leaf  of  a  copy  of  his  works  presented  to 
Col.  Perkins :  — 

"  WASHINGTON,  April  19,  1852. 

"  MY  DEAR  SIR,  —  If  I  possessed  any  thing  which  I 
might  suppose  likely  to  be  more  acceptable  to  you,  as  a 
proof  of  my  esteem,  than  these  volumes,  I  should  have 
sent  it  in  their  stead. 

(e  But  I  do  not ;  and  therefore  ask  your  acceptance  of  a 
copy  of  this  edition  of  my  speeches. 

"  I  have  long  cherished,  my  dear  sir,  a  profound,  warm,  af 
fectionate,  and  I  may  say  a  filial,  regard  for  your  person  and 
character.  I  have  looked  upon  you  as  one  born  to  do  good, 
and  who  has  fulfilled  his  mission ;  as  a  man  without  spot  or 
blemish ;  as  a  merchant  known  and  honored  over  the  whole 
world ;  a  most  liberal  supporter  and  promoter  of  science  and 
the  arts  ;  always  kind  to  scholars  and  literary  men,  and  greatly 
beloved  by  them  all ;  friendly  to  all  the  institutions  of  reli 
gion,  morality,  and  education  ;  and  an  unwavering  and  de 
termined  supporter  of  the  constitution  of  the  country,  and  of 
those  great  principles  of  civil  liberty  which  it  is  so  well  cal 
culated  to  uphold  and  advance. 

"  These  sentiments  I  inscribe  here  in  accordance  with  my 
best  judgment,  and  out  of  the  fulness  of  my  heart ;  and  I 
wish  here  to  record  also  my  deep  sense  of  the  many  personal 
obligations  under  which  you  have  placed  me  in  the  course 
of  our  long  acquaintance. 

"  Your  ever-faithful  friend, 

"DANIEL  WEBSTER. 
"To  the  Hon.  THOMAS  H.  PERKINS." 


264 


MEMOIR    OF 


A  meeting  of  the  merchants  of  Boston  was  held  at 
the  Merchants'  Exchange,  for  the  purpose  of  testify 
ing  their  respect  for  his  memory.  The  following  is  a 
report  of  the  proceedings  as  published :  — 

The  meeting  was  called  to  order  by  T.  B.  Curtis,  Esq., 
who  proposed  that  Hon.  Abbott  Lawrence  be  invited  to 
preside  on  the  occasion.  The  motion  was  unanimously 
adopted. 

Mr.  Lawrence,  on  taking  trie  chair,  said,  "  I  thank  you, 
gentlemen,  for  the  honor  you  have  conferred  on  me  in 
placing  me  in  the  chair  on  this  occasion.  You  all  know 
the  cause  of  this  meeting ;  and  a  melancholy  occasion  it  is. 
It  was  thought  fit  and  proper,  by  the  merchants  of  Boston, 
that  some  special  notice  should  be  taken  of  the  death  of 
Col.  Thomas  H.  Perkins.  In  regard  to  the  appropriateness 
of  such  a  course,  there  is  no  difference  of  opinion. 

"  I  feel,  as  you  feel,  that  we  have  lost  our  guide,-  our  great 
exemplar,  in  the  mercantile  profession.  I  have  looked,  from 
a  very  early  age,  to  Col.  Perkins  as  the  great  merchant  of 
Boston ;  as  a  man  endowed  with  great  talent ;  ever  devoted 
to  the  best  interests  of  his  country,  —  his  whole  country  ; 
a  man  incapable  of  a  mean  thought  or  action ;  and  a  man 
who  has  done  more  to  elevate  the  mercantile  character  than 
any  man  now  living  among  us.  We  therefore  feel  it  due  to 
the  memory  of  a  man  and  a  merchant  so  distinguished  as 
Col.  Perkins,  that  his  death  should  be  noticed  by  the  mer 
chants  of  Boston. 

"  There  are  many  topics,"  Mr.  Lawrence  continued,  "  in 
connection  with  the  memory  of  Mr.  Perkins,  which  press 
upon  my  mind ;  but  this  is  not  the  time  or  place  for  me  to 
speak  of  his  character,  or  the  general  attributes  he  possessed. 
We  all  look  with  reverence  and  respect  upon  them;  and 
this  meeting  has  been  called  to  give  some  testimony  to  the 
world  of  the  honor  and  respect  in  which  we  hold  his  charac 
ter,  as  a  man,  a  philanthropist,  a  friend  of  science,  of  art,  and 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  265 

of  literature.  Though  a  merchant,  he  was  not  confined  to 
the  mercantile  profession  alone ;  but  has  taken  an  active 
interest,  for  over  threescore  years  and  ten,  in  all  the  de 
partments  of  literature,  science,  and  philanthropy.  It  is 
remarkable  that  a  man  of  his  age  should  have  been  so  fresh 
in  his  feelings  in  these  particulars,  —  a  characteristic  which 
was  as  marked  twelve  hours  before  his  death  as  it  was  twenty 
years  ago. 

"  But  I  must  leave  his  character  to  be  spoken  of  by  others. 
I  will  only  say,  that,  in  all  the  relations  of  life,  he  was  faith 
ful.  Even  to  the  sitting  on  juries,  he  was  conscientious ; 
and  never  omitted  it,  whether  it  was  for  a  longer  or  shorter 
period.  Another  duty  he  always  performed,  which  some  are 
too  apt  to  neglect :  he  always  went  to  the  polls  and  voted, 
because  he  deemed  it  one  of  the  highest  duties,  as  well  as 
one  of  the  most  valuable  privileges,  of  an  American  citizen. 
But,  gentlemen,  I  will  not  detain  you  longer  ;  and  will  ask 
you  to  complete  the  organization  of  this  meeting  by  nomi 
nating  one  or  more  persons  for  secretaries." 

Joseph  B.  Glover  and  James  Sturgis,  Esqrs.,  were  nomi 
nated,  and  unanimously  chosen,  for  secretaries. 

John  Amory  Lowell,  Esq.,  then  addressed  the  Chair  as 
follows :  — 

"  We  have  met  here  to-day,  Mr.  President,  almost  without 
notice,  in  obedience  to  a  spontaneous  and  irresistible  impulse, 
to  exchange  our  feelings  of  regret  and  of  respect  for  the 
memory  of  one  so  much  the  senior  of  even  the  more  advanced 
among  us  ;  whose  name  we  have  from  childhood  regarded  as 
the  very  symbol  of  mercantile  honor  and  success.  We  would 
fain  contribute  our  mite  to  the  universal  testimony  of  society ; 
for  to  us  he  peculiarly  belonged.  He  was  emphatically  a 
merchant.  His  very  bearing  reminded  us  of  that  noble  class 
of  men,  whose  pride  centres  in  the  profession  they  contri 
bute  so  largely  to  adorn.  Few  of  his  associates  in  business 
remain  to  tell  us  of  his  professional  career ;  but  around  us, 
on  every  side,  are  the  enduring  monuments  of  the  munifi- 

34 


£66  MEMOIR    OF 

cence  and  public  spirit  which  graced  and  dignified  the  retire 
ment  of  that  serene  old  age. 

"  Mr.  President,  I  may  not  trust  myself  to  enlarge  on 
this  topic,  lest  I  perchance  be  deemed  to  glorify  the  past,  — 
'  Laudator  temporis  acti.'  I  will  simply  offer  for  the  accept 
ance  of  this  meeting  a  few  resolutions  expressive  of  those 
feelings,  in  which,  I  am  sure,  we  all  cordially  unite :  — 

"  Whereas,  We  have  met  here  to-day  to  exchange  and  reciprocate  the 
feelings  elicited  by  the  death  of  one  of  the  oldest,  of  the  most  distinguished, 
and  of  the  most  public-spirited  of  those  merchants  who  have  so  largely 
contributed  to  raise  the  standard  of  mercantile  honor  in  this  community, 
and  who  have  caused  the  name  of  Boston  to  be  respected  at  home  and 
abroad;  and 

"  Whereas,  All  history  and  all  experience  show  that  literature,  science, 
art,  all  that  ennobles  and  refines  humanity,  are  intimately  connected  with 
the  prosperity  of  commerce ;  and  it  is  our  intimate  conviction  that  that 
prosperity  is  dependent  upon,  and  inseparable  from,  those  qualities  for  which 
Col.  Perkins  was  so  eminently  distinguished ;  — 

"  Resolved,  That,  while  we  deeply  mourn  the  loss  that  this  community 
has  sustained,  it  is  a  loss  not  unalloyed  with  pride  in  the  high  honor,  the 
great  public  spirit,  the  extensive  benevolence,  and  the  noble  example,  of 
Thomas  Handasyd  Perkins. 

"  Resolved,  That  the  history  of  his  life  encourages  us  all  by  the  example 
of  a  long,  honored,  and  successful  career,  and  affords  a  valuable  illustration 
of  the  connection  of  private  with  public  prosperity. 

"  Resolved,  That,  whatever  of  just  estimation  may  have  been  awarded  to 
Boston  for  her  enterprise,  her  sagacity,  her  institutions  for  education,  litera 
ture,  philanthropy,  or  art,  a  prominent  share  must  be  attributed  to  him  who 
was  ever  foremost  where  any  good  deed  was  to  be  done. 

"  Resolved,  That  these  resolutions  be  respectfully  communicated,  as  the 
spontaneous  and  unanimous  sentiments  of  this  meeting,  to  the  family  of  the 
Hon.  Thomas  H.  Perkins." 

Hon.  J.  Thomas  Stevenson  seconded  the  resolutions  in 
the  following  able  and  appropriate  remarks  :  — 

"  Mr.  Chairman,  may  I  second  the  motion  for  the  adoption 
of  the  resolutions  ? 

"  The  report  of  the  death  of  a  noted  man  and  a  distin 
guished  merchant  has  summoned  us  here,  that  we  may  take 
counsel  together  as  to  a  fit  testimonial  of  the  universal  respect 


THOMAS    HANDASYD    PERKINS.  267 

felt  in  our  mercantile  community  towards  Thomas  Handasyd 
Perkins,  whose  face  we  shall  see  no  more  on  earth  for  ever. 
He  was  the  oldest  merchant  amongst  us.  None  was  more 
honorable.  All  the  qualities  which  go  to  make  up,  and  at 
the  same  time  to  adorn,  the  character  of  a  merchant,  shone 
brightly  in  him.  He  was  a  pattern  of  mercantile  honor.  In 
that,  he  was  a  man  fit  for  an  example.  He  was  sagacious, 
bold,  enterprising,  honest.  His  word  was  a  bond ;  his  pro 
mise  was  the  performance.  His  age  —  his  great  age,  his 
good  old  age  —  prevents  tears  at  the  change  which  has  con 
ducted  him  to  his  reward.  Eighty -nine  summers  have  smiled 
upon  him,  and  eighty-nine  winters  have  prompted  his  warm 
charities.  We  may  not  utter  lamentations  over  the  needed 
repose  of  one  who  had  overstepped  so  far  the  allotted  bound 
aries  of  the  life  of  man ;  but  we  are  here,  rather,  to  bear 
willing  witness  to  the  love  we  bore  him,  and  to  the  respect 
he  inspired  us  with.  Literature,  science,  art,  each  received 
his  homage  and  his  sacrifices ;  but  his  chosen  altar  was  in 
the  beautiful  temple  of  Charity. 

"Public  and  private  charities,  —  he  absolutely  revelled 
in  them.  No  story  of  distress  fell  upon  his  ear,  without 
making  his  manly  heart  throb  to  the  overflow  of  tears.  It 
was  not  weakness,  but  greatness,  in  him.  Those  tears  were 
the  mingled  outpourings  of  sorrow  and  of  joy ;  of  sorrow 
at  the  suffering,  of  joy  that  he  could  do  something  to  alle 
viate  it.  His  full  heart  kept  his  full  hand  open.  He,  who 
had  achieved  a  fortune,  himself  dispensed  its  bounties.  He 
was  liberal  to  a  proverb,  and  as  just  as  he  was  liberal.  No 
public  charity  lacked  his  substantial  aid.  His  heart  beat 
nobly  in  response  to  the  wants  of  the  less  favored  of  his 
race ;  and  that  which  his  heart  prompted  soon  became  his 
deed.  His  munificent  endowment  of  the  Asylum  for  the 
Blind,  even  if  it  had  stood  alone,  instead  of  merely  overtop 
ping  a  crowd  of  others  like  it,  would  have  been  enough  to 
have  preserved  his  memory ;  for,  in  that,  the  hand  which 
had  been  filled  by  an  honest  enterprise  was  opened  wide  by 


MEMOIR   OF 

a  cheerful  charity,  and  many  an  eye  that  could  not  see  him 
blessed  him.  We  need  not  praise  him  :  his  deeds  do  that. 

"  May  the  large  place  which  he  has  filled  in  our  commu 
nity  not  be  left  vacant  by  his  departure ;  but  may  his  bright 
example  lead  others,  who,  like  him,  are  enabled  to  rejoice 
over  a  prosperous  career,  to  realize,  as  he  did,  that  the  value 
of  wealth  is  in  its  proper  and  beneficent  uses !  We  will  not 
mourn  him ;  but  we  will  remember  him  as  an  upright  mer 
chant,  a  kind  friend,  a  good  citizen,  an  honest  man,  and  an 
honorable  gentleman." 

Mr.  S.  T.  Dana  offered,  as  an  additional  resolution,  the 
following :  — 

"  Resolved,  That  the  merchants  of  Boston  will  attend  the  funeral  services 
of  the  late  CoL  Thomas  H.  Perkins  to-morrow ;  and  that,  during  those 
services,  they  will  close  their  places  of  business." 

This,  with  the  other  resolutions,  was  unanimously 
adopted. 

There  being  no  further  business,  Mr.  Lawrence  —  with 
the  simple  remark,  that  if  ever  a  man  died  in  this  city  who 
deserved  to  have  written  on  his  tombstone,  that  "  the  world 
is  the  better  for  his  having  lived  in  it,"  that  man  was  Col. 
Thomas  H.  Perkins  —  declared  the  meeting  dissolved. 

The  bells  in  the  city  will  be  tolled  from  twelve  to  one  ; 
and  owners  and  masters  of  ships  in  the  harbor  are  requested 
to  display  their  colors  at  half-mast  during  the  day. 

Although  private  interment  is  most  common  now, 
it  seemed  inappropriate  for  one  who  had  filled  so 
large  a  space  in  public  regard.  The  funeral  service 
took  place  at  the  church  of  Rev.  Dr.  Gannett,  where 
he  had  long  worshipped,  and  was  marked  by  one 
incident  peculiarly  touching  in  its  association.  The 
solemn  music  usual  on  such  occasions  was  impres 
sively  performed  by  a  large  choir  of  pupils  from  the 


THOMAS   HANDASYD    PERKINS.  269 

Perkins  Institution  for  the  Blind,  who  had  requested 
permission  to  sing  the  requiem  for  that  friend  through 
whom  they  enjoy  the  comforts  of  their  spacious  dwell 
ing.  A  further  proof  of  their  regard  for  his  memory 
was  seen  but  lately,  in  gleams  of  pleasure  lighting 
their  faces  on  being  promised  that  they  should  soon 
listen  to  this  story  of  his  life. 


APPENDIX. 


APPENDIX. 


PAGE  218. 

THE    FRENCH   CONSCRIPT. 

SINCE  the  account  was  first  published  in  the  "  Merchants' 
Magazine/'  of  the  release  of  Jean  Beau,  the  conscript  at 
Morlaix,  in  the  manner  related,  his  godfather,  who  is  still 
living  at  an  advanced  age,  has  stated  that  the  circumstances 
were  as  follows  :  — 

Col.  Perkins  having  observed  the  sudden  gloom  prevail 
ing  an  hour  or  two  after  so  happy  a  wedding,  and  being 
unwilling,  from  motives  of  delicacy,  to  make  inquiries  of  any 
of  the  family,  applied  to  a  respectable  bookseller,  who  kept 
at  the  next  door,  to  learn  what  could  be  the  cause  of  the 
apparent  change  from  joy,  throughout  the  house,  to  dismay 
and  grief.  "  And  you  do  not  know,  then,"  said  the  book 
seller,  "  that  Jean  has  drawn  the  black  ball,  and  must  go  at 
once  to  the  army  ?  "  He  answered  that  he  had  not  heard  it 
before,  but  desired  to  know  what  was  necessary  to  be  done 
to  obtain  a  discharge.  The  bookseller  told  him  that  nothing 
could  be  done ;  that  a  discharge  could  not  possibly  be  ob 
tained  without  the  payment  of  a  sum  of  money  so  large 
that  Madame  Beau  and  all  her  relatives  could  not  raise  half 
of  it  in  the  time  required.  "  But  I  will  see  to  that,"  said 

35 


£74  APPENDIX. 

Col.  Perkins ;  and  it  was  well  known  in  Morlaix,  that,  mo 
destly  as  he  states  to  Mrs.  Perkins  his  share  of  the  transac 
tion  in  "  having  put  the  thing  in  train,"  he  paid  nearly  all 
the  money  himself. 


PAGE  219. 
LETTER    TO    J.   P.    GUSHING,    ESQ. 

MISSION   TO   WASHINGTON. 

The  "  public  business  in  behalf  of  the  State  of  Massachu 
setts,"  on  which  Col.  Perkins  went  to  Washington  in  February, 
1815,  had  reference  to  the  defence  of  the  eastern  frontier  and 
seaboard  of  the  United  States  in  the  war  with  England.  It 
had  become  necessary  to  maintain  a  large  force  for  that  pur 
pose  from  the  militia,  if  the  war  was  to  be  continued ;  the 
troops  of  the  Union  being  chiefly  engaged  in  attempts  on 
Canada.  Direct  taxes  for  the  support  of  the  war,  very  bur 
densome  in  the  general  derangement  of  business,  had  been 
imposed  by  Act  of  Congress,  and  were  likely  to  be  soon  very 
much  increased.  Under  these  circumstances,  it  was  recom 
mended  by  a  convention  of  delegates  from  some  of  the 
Eastern  States,  held  at  Hartford,  Conn.,  in  December,  1814, 
that  application  should  be  made  to  the  Government  of  the 
United  States,  requesting  their  consent  to  some  arrangement 
whereby  the  States  exposed  might  be  empowered  to  assume 
the  defence  of  their  territory  against  the  enemy,  and  a  rea 
sonable  portion  of  the  taxes  collected  there  might  be  paid 
into  their  respective  treasuries,  and  appropriated  to  that 
object.  A  resolution  was  adopted,  in  consequence,  by  the 
Legislature  of  Massachusetts,  authorizing  a  mission  to  "Wash 
ington  for  the  purpose  of  making  the  request. 

Other  measures  were  recommended  by  the  convention  ; 
but  this  was  the  only  one  leading  to  any  action  except  such 


APPENDIX.  £75 

as  would  necessarily  be  subject  to  the  jurisdiction  of  the 
Supreme  Court  of  the  United  States,  or  to  the  provisions  of 
the  Constitution  in  regard  to  amendments. 

Col.  Perkins  was  not  a  member  of  the  Hartford  Conven 
tion  -,  but  knowing  most  of  the  members  personally,  and 
having  entire  confidence  in  the  purity  of  their  motives  and 
their  devotion  to  the  union  of  the  States,  with  great  defer 
ence  for  their  wisdom,  he  willingly  gave  his  support  to  the 
principal  measure  thus  recommended  by  them,  and  accepted 
a  place  in  the  mission  to  Washington,  believing  that  it  would 
be  productive  of  good  to  the  whole  country. 

He  was  accordingly  commissioned,  with  the  Hon.  Harrison 
Gray  Otis,  and  William  Sullivan,  Esq.,  to  proceed  to  Wash 
ington,  "  and  make  respectful  and  earnest  application  to  the 
Government  of  the  United  States,  requesting  them  to  con 
sent  "  to  such  an  arrangement  for  defence. 

Just  after  his  arrival  there,  as  appears  by  his  letter,  news 
was  received  that  a  treaty  of  peace  had  been  effected ;  and 
any  further  action  became  unnecessary.  It  was  his  opinion, 
however,  from  indications  at  Washington  when  he  reached 
there,  that,  if  the  commissioners  who  had  been  sent  to 
Europe,  early  in  the  year  preceding,  had  failed  in  their  nego 
tiation  for  peace,  the  proposal  recommended  by  the  Hartford 
Convention  would  have  been  readily  acceded  to  by  the 
General  Government,  as  the  best  mode  that  could  be  adopted 
for  the  further  conduct  of  the  war. 

Owing  to  a  concurrence  of  circumstances  at  the  time,  a 
mistaken  and  very  unfavorable  impression  in  regard  to  the 
purposes  of  that  convention  prevailed  for  many  years.  The 
subject  is  now  better  understood,  and  bears  thorough  inves 
tigation,  without  hazard  to  the  character  of  its  members  for 
patriotic  attachment  to  the  Constitution  and  the  Union. 

The  respect  for  that  body  entertained  by  such  a  contem 
porary  as  Col.  Perkins,  is,  in  itself,  historical  testimony  of 
some  value.  He  had  the  best  opportunity  to  form  a  correct 
judgment  of  its  character  and  designs.  He  seems  never  to 


276  APPENDIX. 

have  desired  political  advancement  for  himself,  and  his  judg 
ment  was  probably  unbiased  by  any  wish  for  it.  Impatience 
for  the  return  of  peace  might  at  first  seem  likely  to  pre 
dominate  with  one  engaged  so  largely  in  foreign  commerce 
as  he  was  ;  but  it  would  rather  appear,  from  his  correspon 
dence,  that  his  establishment  in  China  and  other  extensive 
arrangements  gave  him  such  peculiar  advantages  for  success 
during  a  state  of  war,  when  he  had  few  competitors,  as 
left  no  motive  of  that  nature  for  assisting  in  any  improper 
attempt  to  impede  or  influence  the  action  of  the  General 
Government. 


PAGE 
COMMERCIAL     LETTERS. 

BOSTON,  Feb.  7,  1795. 
Mr.  THOMAS  H.  PERKINS,  Bourdeaux. 

Sir,  — We  have  this  day  received  certain  information  of  the 
conclusion  of  a  treaty  of  commerce  and  navigation  between 
the  United  States  and  Great  Britain,  said  to  be  bottomed  on 
terms  of  reciprocal  advantage.  We  are  also  informed  that 
Holland  has  concluded  a  separate  peace  with  France,  and 
that  we  have  every  reason  to  suppose  that  Great  Britain  will 
stand  alone  in  the  war.  If  these  facts  are  to  be  relied  on 
(and  we  presume  they  cannot  be  doubted),  the  advantages 
we  have  long  experienced  will  be  continued,  if  not  aug 
mented  ;  new  sources  will  be  opened  to  our  commerce ;  and 
the  late  obstructions  in  the  north  of  Europe  so  far  removed 
as  to  offer  a  market  for  our  West-India  goods,  and  revive  the 
demand  for  our  navigation.  Under  these  circumstances,  I 
conceive  many  opportunities  for  speculation  will  present 
themselves  during  your  stay  in  France;  and  my  object  in 
writing  you  at  this  moment  is  to  urge  the  importance  of 


APPENDIX.  £77 

your  early  attention  to  the  advantages  which  may  be  derived 
from  the  existing  state  of  affairs  in  Europe.  I  find  several 
vessels  have  been  advantageously  employed  in  plying  be 
tween  Hamburg,  Rotterdam,  and  France,  and  that  neutral 
vessels  have  been  permitted  a  free  trade  even  from  England. 
"Williams,  who  is  in  our  friend  H.'s  brig  "  William,"  has 
pursued  this  business  to  great  profit ;  and  I  am  very  well 
assured  he  has,  notwithstanding,  neglected  many  very  im 
portant  advantages,  and  that,  in  his  choice  of  the  articles  he 
has  carried  from  port  to  port,  he  has  been  mistaken,  though 
they  have  yielded  a  profit  worthy  of  attention.  The  "  Betsy  " 
will  be  with  you,  ere  long,  with  a  cargo  of  rice.  This  cargo, 
I  conceive,  will  afford  capital  sufficient  to  be  employed  in  the 
pursuance  of  this  object ;  and,  the  vessel  being  exactly  cal 
culated  for  the  purpose,  you  will  be  enabled,  in  case  of  a 
continuation  of  the  war,  to  keep  her  employed  to  more 
advantage  in  Europe  than  in  suffering  her  to  return  here. 
H.  informs  me  that  some  articles  purchased  by  Williams 
have  given  a  profit  of  one  hundred  and  fifty  per  cent,  and 
that  any  person  well  qualified  to  pursue  this  object  might 
render  it  infinitely  productive.  You  will  be  enabled  to 
inform  yourself  on  this  head ;  and,  if  satisfied  of  the  facts, 
you  will  undoubtedly  pursue  it.  For  my  part,  I  am  so  far 
impressed  with  its  advantages,  that  I  am  resolved  (if  H.  will 
consent)  to  send  the  "  Dolphin  "  out  to  you,  that  she  may  be 
employed  while  the  opportunity  exists. 

If  you  can  sell  your  different  cargoes  for  cash,  or  sure 
bills  on  Hamburg  or  Amsterdam,  I  would  by  all  means 
advise  it  in  preference  to  trusting  to  paper,  which  I  observe 
is  depreciating,  and  which  will  probably  experience  the  same 
fate  as  ours  at  the  close  of  the  war.  Many  people  say, 
France  having  obtained  her  ends,  her  paper  must  be  better. 
The  success  of  our  contest  did  not  produce  this  effect ;  and 
we  may  justly  conclude  that  the  same  causes  will  produce 
the  same  effects,  whether  on  this  or  the  other  side  the  At 
lantic.  My  motives  for  advising  your  establishing  a  fund  in 


£78  APPENDIX. 

Holland  are  bottomed  on  a  conviction  that  the  best  specula 
tions  which  can  be  made  will  be  on  the  goods  carried  from 
the  northern  ports  to  the  republic,  and  not  on  the  exports 
from  France,  which  are  at  this  moment  at  most  extravagant 
prices,  and  will  probably  bear  but  a  small  or  no  profit.  By- 
having  your  specie  at  either  of  those  places,  or  in  London, 
you  will  not  be  detained  to  make  your  sales,  but  can  provide 
your  cargoes  for  France  with  greater  benefit  and  despatch. 
The  number  of  voyages  made  while  the  war  lasts  is  certainly 
an  important  consideration.  "Williams  has  already  made  seve 
ral  trips  on  this  plan,  and  his  principal  benefit  has  arisen  from 
the  despatch  he  has  made.  If  you  should  have  a  surplusage 
of  funds,  you  will  establish  a  credit  for  our  drafts  in  one  of 
the  above  places,  on  which  we  can  undertake  new  voyages 
from  hence.  You  will  probably  hear  of  the  "Delight." 
She  was  to  take  a  freight  from  Hamburg  for  some  part  of 
Europe.  I  hope  you  will  find  employ  for  her  also. 

The  "  "West  Point's  "  duties  become  due  in  twenty  days, 
and  of  consequence  her  cargo  must  be  shipped.  H.  and 
myself  have  been  looking  at  a  vessel  this  morning,  which 
we  probably  shall  take  and  load  for  Havre.  Carter  will  go 
in  her.  Yours,  &c. 


BOSTON,  Dec.  8,  1795. 
Mr.  JAMES  BUSH,  London. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  arrived,  after  a  tedious  passage,  at  the  port 
of  New  York,  and,  a  few  days  since,  at  this  place ;  and  I 
feel  sensible  it  will  give  you  pleasure  when  I  add  that  my 
family  and  friends  are  well. 

The  brigantine  "  Mary  Hughes  "  was  taken  by  the  ship 
"Assistance,"  of  fifty  guns,  and  sent  to  Newfoundland. 
The  pretence  for  restraining  her  was  that  she  was  laden 
with  provisions.  How  long  coffee,  which  was  her  only  Jad 
ing,  has  been  thus  classed,  I  know  not.  She  was  to  sail 


APPENDIX.  279 

with,  convoy  for  England  about  the  1st  of  November.  The 
injury  this  interruption  has  been  to  our  property  is  very 
great.  I  hope  your  exertions  will  insure  us  reparation. 
The  captain  is  furnished  with  every  document  necessary  : 
the  papers  he  took  from  hence  are  full  and  explicit  as  to  the 
property,  destination,  &c 

To  fill  up  the  measure  of  injustice,  I  have  no  doubt  the 
captain  of  the  ee  Assistance  "  will  endeavor  to  get  an  order 
for  taking  the  "  Mary's  "  cargo  at  the  ten  per  cent.  This 
you  will  oppose 

The  prospect  of  a  permanent  good  understanding  between 
your  court  and  the  republic,  gives  me  the  fullest  hopes  of  a 
favorable  issue  to  the  "  Charlotte's  "  cause.  My  brother  has 
forwarded  to  Mr.  Bayard  a  claim  of  damages  for  the  injury 
done  us  in  detaining  a  vessel  and  cargo  at  Jamaica  under 
the  order  of  Nov.  6,  1792.  The  vessel  is  the  same  brig 
"  Delight "  (though  at  that  time  a  schooner)  of  which  you 
already  know  something.  I  hope  to  get  the  freight  due  the 

brig  "  Delight  "  also 

Yours, 

T.  H.  P. 


BOSTON,  Feb.  8,  1796. 
Mr.  JAMES  BUSH,  London. 

Dear  Sir,  —  The  above  is  duplicate  of  my  last  to  you. 
We  are  a  long  time  without  any  European  arrivals,  and  are 
anxious  to  hear  from  your  side  the  water.  You  will  see,  by 
our  papers,  how  much  it  is  the  wish  of  this  Government  to 
live  in  peace  with  all  the  world.  A  few  mad-heads  have 
said  much,  and  their  noise  has  been  heard  afar ;  but  they  are 
as  impotent  as  they  are  desperate,  and  their  ill  intentions 
have  already  been  frustrated.  This  goes  by  a  vessel  of  ours 
with  flour  for  a  market  in  Europe,  where,  I  have  but  little 
doubt,  it  will  bring  a  good  price. 

I  am, 

T.  H.  P. 


£80  APPENDIX. 


BOSTON,  April  15,  1796. 
Messrs.  T.  H.  CAZENOVE,  NEPHEW,  &  Co.,  London. 

Gentlemen,  ....  From  the  cessation  of  hostilities  on 
the  Rhine,  we  have  been  led  to  expect  a  general  peace ;  but 
we  observe,  by  your  letter  of  the  6th  February,  that  another 
campaign  will  probably  take  place  :  indeed,  from  the  exer 
tions  made  in  the  islands,  we  presume  the  war  cannot  termi 
nate  the  present  year.  We  flatter  ourselves  our  next  will 
advise  you  that  all  necessary  measures  for  carrying  our 
pending  treaty  with  Great  Britain  into  effect  will  be  com 
pleted,  the  disorganizes  of  this  country  notwithstanding. 
From  the  unequalled  firmness  of  our  president,  we  have 
every  thing  to  hope ;  and,  from  the  general  good  sense  of 
the  people,  we  conceive  the  Constitution  will  long  remain 
unshaken  by  its  present  enemies. 

We  remark  with  pleasure  your  approbation  of  the  presi 
dent's  speech  in  the  opening  of  Congress.  We  now  enclose 
you  his  message  to  the  House  in  reply  to  the  requisition  for 
the  papers  relative  to  the  treaty,  which,  if  possible,  does  him 
more  honor  than  the  former. 

We  are,  &c. 


BOSTON,  April  30,  1796. 
Messrs.  WILLIAM  &  E.  CRAFTS  &  Co. 

Gentlemen,  ....  We  have  da.ily  accounts  from  Europe 
of  the  low  prices  of  American  produce  in  proportion  to  home 
prices.  We  hope  you  have  not  speculated  deeply  in  your 
staple  commodities,  but  have  been  contented  with  being  the 
carriers  for  those  who  have  been  full  in  the  faith  of  the  last 
year's  prices  in  Europe.  In  consequence  of  the  disposition 
shown  in  the  House  of  Representatives  of  the  Union  not 
to  grant  the  supplies  for  carrying  the  British  treaty  into 
effect,  business  has  been  very  slack  for  these  two  weeks. 


APPENDIX.  £81 

All  new  appropriations  are  entirely  suspended.  The  alarm 
is  very  general  lest  the  dearest  interests  of  our  country  — 
peace  and  national  honor  —  should  be  sacrificed  to  party- 
spirit  and  Antifederalism.  The  doings  of  this  place,  and 
those  in  its  vicinity,  have  allayed  fears ;  and  we  are  full  in 
faith  that  an  appeal  to  the  people  will  save  us  from  the  pre 
cipice  over  which  we  had  like  (involuntarily)  to  have  been 
precipitated.  Yours, 

J.  &  T.  H.  P. 


BOSTON,  Aug.  4,  1796. 
Mr.  JAMES  BUSH. 

Dear  Sir,  —  I  have  none  of  your  letters  for  a  long  time 
past,  though  I  have  been  in  expectation  of  some  to  tell  me 
favorable  news  respecting  the  causes  I  am  unfortunately 
interested  in  at  your  courts.  "We  —  I  mean  the  owners  of 
the  "  Charlotte  "  —  hope  for  a  favorable  termination  of  her 
appeal  through  the  commissioners.  I  was  in  hopes  the 
freight  of  the  "  Delight "  would  have  been  awarded  her  ere 
now.  I  send  you  the  speech  of  Mr.  Ames,  member  of  our 
Congress,  on  the  subject  of  the  appropriation  to  carry  the 
treaty  with  Great  Britain  into  effect.  I  also  send  one,  which 
please  to  present  to  Dr.  Nicholl  with  my  respectful  compli 
ments. 

With  my  most  cordial  wishes  for  the  health  and  prosperity 
of  all  who  interest  you, 

I  am,  my  dear  sir,  yours, 

T.  H.  P. 


BOSTON,  Oct.  18,  1796. 
Mr.  JOSEPH  RUSSELL,  jun.,  American  citizen  nfcw  in  Europe. 

Dear  Sir,  ....  Business  in  this  country  is  becoming 
very  dull.  A  great  number  of  vessels  are  flocking  to  the 
American  ports  which  have  until  this  time  been  employed 

36 


APPENDIX. 

in  Europe  and  the  East  Indies.  What  they  will  find  to  do 
now,  we  cannot  anticipate.  American  produce  is  high,  — 
every  article  of  provisions  at  prices  which  exceed  those 
quoted  in  any  country  we  are  in  correspondence  with.  Ar 
ticles  of  exports  for  Europe,  which  are  the  growth  of  the 
West-India  islands,  are  also  at  nearly  the  same  prices  as  in 
the  places  they  are  exported  from.  Thus  you  see  we  have 
hut  indifferent  prospects  of  employing  our  navigation.  The 
East-India  voyages  have  turned  out  to  more  profit  than  any 
other  trading  voyages  for  some  time  past ;  and,  we  think,  will 
still  do  well  if  managed  with  skill 

We  anticipate  the  pleasure  of  yet  seeing  you  this  way  in 
the  spring.  We  lament  the  circumstances  which  have  re 
tarded  your  eagerness  to  revisit  your  native  place,  and  hope 
you  are  persuaded  there  are  yet  amongst  us  those  to 
whom  you  are  very  dear.  Our  young  friend*  Motier  is 
with  our  beloved  President.  He  is  fostered  by  this  great 
man,  and  is  considered  by  him  as  a  son.  Frestel  is  with 
him.  Our  T.  H.  P.  was  with  him  at  the  president's  seat  in 
Virginia  the  past  summer.  He  spoke  with  much  gratitude 
of  your  goodness  to  him  and  his  hapless  family. 

With  respects  to  our  friends  who  are  with  you,  believe  us, 
dear  Russell,  &c.,  Yours, 

J.  &  T.  H.  P. 


BOSTON,  Dec,  27,  1796. 
Mr.  GEORGE  PERKINS,  Smyrna. 

Sir,  —  The  deranged  state  of  the  European  trade,  conse 
quent  on  the  existing  war  between  Great  Britain  and  the 
continental  powers,  having  opened  some  new  channels  for 
the  American  commerce  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  the  expe 
riments  which  have  been  made  in  those  seas  exciting  a  fur 
ther  spirit  of  enterprise,  we  avail  ourselves  of  a  conveyance 

*  G.  W.  La  Fayette. 


APPENDIX. 

by  way  of  Naples  to  make  a  few  inquiries  respecting  the 
commerce  of  your  city.  On  this  subject  we  have  conversed 
with  our  friend  and  your  brother,  Mr.  Thomas  Perkins ;  but 
the  unfrequent  communications  between  Smyrna  and  this 
continent  have  prevented  his  receiving  the  necessary  informa 
tion.  The  meditated  negotiations  between  these  States  and 
the  powers  of  Tunis  and  Tripoli,  we  think,  will  soon  remove 
all  impediments  between  us  ;  and,  if  permission  for  the 
entry  of  American  vessels  can  be  obtained,  we  have  strong 
hopes  a  sufficient  incentive  to  an  experimental  voyage,  at 
least,  may  offer. 

We  have  heard  that  many  of  our  cargoes  of  coffee  and 
sugar  have  been,  reshipped  from  Leghorn,  Naples,  and  other 
ports  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  have  paid  a  valuable  freight 
at  Smyrna.  The  uncertainty,  however,  of  this  fact,  and  the 
great  loss  which  might  result  from  a  merely  speculative 
essay,  render  us  anxious  to  obtain  certain  information  of  the 
state  of  your  markets.  We  will  therefore  thank  you  to  write 
us  on  this  head,  and  inform  us  if  an  American  vessel  would 
be  permitted  an  entry  at  your  port,  and  under  what  restric 
tions  ;  what  articles  of  West  and  East  India  produce  are  in 
demand  at  your  market,  and  what  prices  in  English  sterling 
they  bear ;  what  returns  suitable  for  this  country  can  be 
made,  and  at  what  rates. 

An  intercourse  reciprocally  advantageous,  we  conceive,  may 
be  formed  between  the  two  countries  ;  and  as  the  informa 
tion  we  require,  and  the  measures  which  may  result  from  it, 
will  be  for  the  joint  benefit  of  your  brother,  Mr.  Thomas 
Perkins,  our  mutual  friends  and  connections,  Stephen  Hig- 
ginson  &  Co.,  and  ourselves,  we  feel  a  hope  that  you  will  , 
favor  us  with  your  communications  as  early  as  possible. 
They  may  be  addressed  to  us  under  cover  of  Messrs.  Thomas 
Dickason  &  Co.,  merchants,  London ;  or  Messrs.  Degen  & 
Iwertz,  at  Naples. 

We  are,  sir,  with  respect, 

Yours,  &c., 

J.  &  T.  H.  P. 


284  APPENDIX. 


BOSTON,  June  21,  1799. 
Mr.  LAREINTY,  Martinique. 

Dear  Sir,  —  "We  subjoin  a  copy  qf  our  last  letter  to  you, 
dated  22d  April.  Since  then,  we  have  received  yours  of 
21st  April.  We  feel  much  satisfied  with  the  advice  we  for 
merly  gave  you  as  to  the  disposition  of  your  funds  in  this 
country.  Such  has  been  the  uncertainty  with  respect  to  the 
political  situation  of  America  for  some  time  past,  that  great 
fluctuations  have  been  experienced  in  our  stocks.  Since 
three  months,  some  particular  species  of  stocks  have  de 
clined  eight  to  ten  per  cent. 

The  present  unanimity  in  our  councils  gives  us  confidence 
that  we  shall  not  become  altogether  the  dupes  of  Mr.  Talley 
rand.  We  shall  at  all  times  take  great  pleasure  in  doing  all 
in  our  power  to  secure  your  interest.  We  agree  to  the  pro 
position  that  you  shall  have  liberty  to  retire  your  funds, 
giving  us  a  little  previous  notice  as  you  propose. 

We  have  all  our  concerns  in  the  India  trade  at  present, 
which  we  find  more  lucrative  than  the  colonial  trade, 
particularly  under  the  present  embarrassment  in  getting 
returns We  are,  &c. 

P.  S.  —  Our  T.  H.  P.'s  best  regards  to  Mr.  and  Mrs. 
Lareinty.  Mrs.  Perkins  and  our  children  are  well,  —  the 
present  number,  four,  —  who  will  be  all  very  happy  to  see 
you  again  in  America. 


BOSTON,  Nov.  1,  1799. 
Capt.  STEPHEN  HALL,  of  brig  "  Sally." 

Sir,  —  Your  brig  being  now  ready  for  sea,  our  instructions 
to  you  are  to  proceed  from  hence,  with  all  possible  expedi 
tion,  to  the  Pacific  Ocean,  and  touch  at  such  islands  as  you 
may  think  proper  for  the  purpose  of  taking  seals.  Kergue- 
len's  Land  we  think  you  will  do  well  to  stop  at  first ;  and 


APPENDIX;  285 

* 

from  thence  to  St.  Paul's  and  Amsterdam,  or  any  other 
islands  you,  with  Mr.  Peron,  your  chief  mate,  may  think 
best. 

As  the  success  of  the  voyage  depends  altogether  on  your 
unremitted  exertions  to  procure  seals,  we  do  not  doubt  you 
will  use  them  on  all  occasions.  We  put  a  great  plenty  of 
provisions  on  board  your  vessel ;  but  we  calculate  upon  your 
making  use  of  fish  and  seal-flesh  occasionally  for  your  people, 
and  that  your  beef,  pork,  and  bread  will  be  used  with  the 
utmost  economy.  In  voyages  like  that  you  are  now  em 
barked  upon,  every  thing  depends  upon  harmony  and  good 
understanding.  Good  treatment  and  tenderness  to  your 
crew  will  do  more  than  can  be  effected  by  different  conduct. 
Mr.  Peron  is  so  well  acquainted  with  the  sealing  business, 
that  we  shall  not  pretend  to  point  out  to  you  the  mode  of 
procedure,  but  leave  to  you  and  him  to  devise  and  execute 
your  future  operations.  Should  you  be  able  to  purchase 
prime  seal-skins  at  one-quarter  to  one-half  a  dollar,  payable 
by  drafts  on  us,  we  authorize  your  doing  it  on  account  of 
those  concerned  in  the  voyage.  When  you  have  collected 
as  many  skins  as  may  make  it  an  object  for  you  to  go  to 
China  with  them,  you  will  proceed  there,  and  lay  out  the 
amount  they  may  net  in  such  articles  as  you  may  think  best, 
being  governed  in  this  by  the  capital  you  have  to  invest. 
You  will  recollect,  that,  unless  the  price  of  skins  is  high  in 
Canton,  the  expenses  in  the  river  will  take  away  all  your 
cargo.  You  can  learn  the  price  at  Macao,  and  be  governed 
accordingly.  Should  skins  be  very  low  in  China,  as  we 
think  probable  may  be  the  case,  the  first  eighteen  or  twenty- 
four  months,  it  would  be  best  to  place  the  skins  in  the  hands 
of  the  American  consul,  Mr.  Snow,  at  Canton,  until  a  favor 
able  opportunity  for  sale  arrives,  and  proceed  to  the  islands 
again,  or  go  to  the  North-west  Coast  for  sea-otters,  if  a  favor 
able  cargo  can  be  had  in  China.  We  only  intimate  these 
things  for  your  consideration,  and  leave  you  to  be  the  judges 
of  carrying  them  into  effect.  We  depend  upon  hearing  from 


286  APPENDIX. 

you  as  often  as  opportunities  may  offer,  and  on  having  a  cir 
cumstantial  account  of  your  proceedings.  Should  we  have 
any  vessels  bound  to  China,  we  shall  probably  order  them 
to  stop  at  Amsterdam,  to  visit  you,  and  take  your  skins  to 
China.  As  it  is  probable  you  may  have  an  opportunity  of 
purchasing  skins  from  persons  left  on  the  islands  in  the 
Pacific  Ocean,  it  may  be  necessary  to  say  something  on  that 
subject.  It  is  very  far  from  our  wishes  or  intentions  that 
you  should  on  any  account  purchase  skins  of  any  persons 
left  for  the  purpose  of  sealing  by  any  vessel  which  has  con 
tracted  to  take  off  the  persons  left.  It  may  be  (and  we  have 
reason  to  suppose  it  is  the  case)  that  some  persons  have  been 
left  on  their  own  account  to  collect  seal-skins,  and  are  fully 
empowered  to  dispose  of  them ;  in  which  case  you  will  pur 
chase  them,  provided  you  can  make  such  a  bargain  as  you 
may  think  will  answer.  You  can  better  afford  to  pay  half  a 
dollar  for  good  skins  the  present  season  than  a  quarter  of 
a  dollar  the  next  season,  provided  you  can  get  a  sufficient 
quantity  to  induce  you  to  go  to  market  with  them.  The 
reason  of  this  difference  is,  that,  the  next  season,  there  will 
probably  be  a  great  glut  of  skins  in  China ;  whereas,  the 
present  season  (or,  in  other  words,  in  November  next,  or 
earlier),  the/sealers  will  not  have  arrived.  In  all  cases,  when 
you  purch/se  skins,  you  will  be  well  persuaded  that  the  per 
sons  have  a  good  right  to  dispose  of  them ;  and  they  will 
probably  have  it  in  their  power  to  convince  you  of  their 
property  in  them.  Although  we  have  pointed  out  to  you 
the  objects  of  the  voyage  generally,  yet  we  authorize  you  to 
make  such  changes  as  you  and  Mr.  Peron  may  think  most 
for  the  interest  of  the  voyage.  We  depend  much  on  Mr. 
Peron's  judgment  and  information  in  the  sealing  business, 
and  recommend  your  consulting  him  on  all  occasions.  We 
hope  and  presume  there  will  be  a  perfect  good  understanding 
between  you  and  Mr.  Peron,  whom  we  recommend  particu 
larly  to  you  as  a  man  who  has  our  confidence,  and  deserves 
yours. 


APPENDIX.  287 

"We  again  repeat  to  you  the  necessity  of  the  most  rigid 
economy  in  the  use  of  your  provisions,  particularly  of  the 
bread  kind.  While  at  the  islands,  you  will  be  able  to  eco 
nomize  in  your  beef,  as  you  will  there  find  plenty  of  fish. 
We  think,  if  you  should  purchase  skins  to  go  to  China  with, 
and  find  them  sell  well,  —  that  is,  if  you  should  get  twenty 
thousand  to  thirty  thousand,  and  be  able  to  sell  them  at  one 
dollar  and  three-fourths  to  two  dollars  each,  —  you  would 
raise  capital  sufficient  to  load  the  brig  with  Nankins  ;  and  it 
would  be  best  to  proceed  home  with  them,  as  you  may  be 
nearly  as  soon  at  the  islands  again  as  the  people  left  would 
be  able  to  make  up  a  second  cargo. 

Should  you  leave  a  large  party  at  St.  Paul's  and  Amster 
dam,  and  go  to  China,  we  think  Mr.  Peron's  being  at  the 
head  of  it  would  be  important. 


BOSTON,  Nov.  9,  1799. 
Mr.  SAMUEL  G.  PERKINS,  London. 

Dear  S., We  wrote  you  the  "Eliza"  had  suc 
ceeded  on  the  North-west,  and  had  proceeded  to  China ; 
that  is,  she  was  about  leaving  the  coast  for  China.  We  pre 
sume,  from  the  letters  which  are  dated  off  St.  Bias,  that  she 
would  dispose  of  her  dry-goods  for  about  one  hundred  per 
cent  advance.  The  collection  of  skins  exceeded  that  of 
Magee  in  the  "  Margaret,"  or  Swift  in  the  "  Hazard  ;  " 
although  they  were  two  years,  and  the  "  Eliza  "  ninety  days. 
This  is  a  coup  de  hasard  rarely  to  be  met  with.  Should  she 
get  safe  to  China,  of  which  we  have  but  little  doubt,  she  will 
make  a  great  voyage. 

We  are  still  of  opinion  the  "  Russell "  had  best  be  de 
spatched  for  Batavia  with  $40,000,  unless  she  can  make  a 
freight  here  which  will  net  a  handsome  sum.  Indeed,  if 
there  is  no  difficulty  in  clearing  for  Batavia  from  London, 
there  ought  to  be  no  question  as  to  sending  her  forthwith. 


288  APPENDIX. 

It  may  be  that  a  freight  from  London  may  be  had  out  to 
Batavia,  or  that  the  revolution  of  Holland  is  so  far  com 
pleted  as  that  the  ship  may  be  loaded  at  Amsterdam  without 
being  implicated  with  the  English.  We  are,  however,  of 
opinion,  that  the  more  simple  the  plan,  the  better;  and, 
for  this  reason,  we  prefer  the  voyage  direct  to  Batavia  and 
home.  If  two  hundred  tons  could  be  procured  for  China, 
on  freight,  and  the  freight  paid  there,  it  would  be  best  to 
send  her  perhaps  to  Canton,  in  preference  to  anywhere  else ; 
and,  in  this  case,  the  proceeds  of  freight  out,  and  our  own 
stock,  could  be  invested  in  Nankins,  and  brought  home. 
All  these  things  are  matters  of  calculation,  and  you  must 
decide  upon  them. 

The  "  Massachusetts  "  goes  to  Batavia  direct,  with  $80,000. 
The  other  voyage  is  too  speculative  and  uncertain.  We  shall 
occasionally  drop  you  a  line,  and  hope  the  return  of  the 
"Minerva"  will  see  you  once  more  with  us. 

God  bless  you  ! 


BOSTON,  Nov.  9,  1799. 
Mr.  JOSEPH  MARRYAT,  London. 

Sir,  —  We  have  written  to  Mr.  Samuel  Perkins  on  the 
subject  of  the  destination  of  the  ship  "Thomas  Russell," 
and  give  you  an  extract  of  our  letter  to  him  herewith. 
Should  no  difficulty  present  to  oppose  our  plan  of  sending 
the  ship  to  Batavia,  we  wish  $40,000  put  into  her  for  that 
place. 

We  fear  there  will  not  be  arrangements  made  with  Hol 
land  which  will  authorize  the  projected  voyage  from  thence 
to  Batavia;  and  we  are  induced,  upon  reflection,  to  adopt 
the  plan  just  mentioned,  as  the  most  eligible  one  to  be  pur 
sued.  We  rely  on  your  kind  interference  and  aid  in  getting 
the  ship  to  sea  upon  the  most  economical  plan. 

We  are,  &c. 


APPENDIX.  289 


BOSTON,  Dec.  30,  1799. 
Mr.  SAMUEL  G.  PERKINS,  London. 

Dear  Sir,  —  "We  now  send  you  a  triplicate  of  our  last.  A 
recent  arrival  from  India  brings  accounts  of  the  Government 
of  the  Isle  of  France  having  declared  war  against  us,  and 
that  several  vessels  have  sailed  from  thence  to  cruise  against 
our  commerce.  This  very  much  alarms  us ;  and  we  are 
concerned  for  the  fate  of  all  our  vessels  in  those  seas.  We 
cannot  suppose  the  "Russell"  is  still  with  you.  Should 
she  have  been  detained  by  any  cause  until  this  gets  to  hand, 
if  bound  to  Batavia,  let  her  go  through  the  Straits  of  Lom- 
bok ;  or,  if  going  to  China,  let  her  go  round  the  south 
cape  of  New  Holland.  Sever  and  Preble,  in  the  frigates 
"  Congress  "  and  "  Essex,"  sail  for  the  Straits  in  a  few  days. 
They  will,  however,  be  too  late  to  protect  those  vessels  which 
will  be  on  the  return  from  Batavia  and  China  in  the  spring. 
We  have  no  news  in  the  political  line.  The  General  Go 
vernment  now  is,  and  the  State  Governments  as  they  get  in 
session  are,  making  arrangements  to  pay  honor  to  the  memory 

of  the  man  whom  the  world  delighted  to  honor 

Hoping  soon  to  hear  from  you.  We  are,  &c. 


BOSTON,  May  24,  1800. 
Messrs.  HENRY  JACKSON  and  JOSEPH  TILDEN. 

Sirs,  —  Herewith  you  have  invoice  and  bill  lading  (duly 
attested)  of  the  cargo  on  board  the  ship  "  Thomas  Russell," 
Henry  Jackson,  master,  for  the  sole  account  and  risk  of  the 
owners  of  said  ship,  and  which  goes  to  your  address  jointly. 
You  will  proceed  from  hence  direct  to  Malaga,  and,  on  your 
arrival  there,  inform  yourselves  of  the  state  of  the  markets 
in  the  Mediterranean ;  and  if,  on  investigation,  you  should 
find  your  cargo  will  sell  at  that  place  for  such  prices  as  may 

37 


290  APPENDIX. 

be  preferred  to  further  hazard,  you  will  there  dispose  of  the 
whole. 

If,  on  the  contrary,  you  may  be  convinced,  from  minute 
inquiry  and  calculation,  that  it  will  be  most  expedient  to 
proceed  further  up,  —  say  to  Barcelona  (Genoa,  if  open  for 
American  ships),  Leghorn,  Naples,  Smyrna,  or  any  ports 
between  those  and  Trieste,  —  you  will  conduct  accordingly  ; 
taking  care,  in  all  instances,  to  estimate  the  expenses  of 
detention,  extra  premium,  wages,  &c.  From  your  own 
knowledge  of  the  trade  of  the  Mediterranean,  you  will  be 
enabled  to  judge  of  those  markets  where  your  teas,  Nankins, 
and  light  articles  will  answer  best ;  and  we  would  recom 
mend  your  embracing  the  first  good  opportunity  to  dispose 
of  this  part  of  your  cargo.  Your  coffee,  sugar,  and  cocoa 
being  (more  or  less)  in  demand  at  every  port,  they  will,  of 
course,  govern  your  movements  above  Leghorn,  and  will 
alone  be  an  object  for  you  to  proceed  beyond  that  place. 
Having  disposed  of  your  cargo,  you  will  convert  the  amount 
into  Spanish  dollars,  with  which  you  will  proceed  direct  to 
Calcutta,  and  there  invest  the  whole  amount  in  such  articles 
as  you  may  think  best  calculated  for  this  market  from  the 
memorandum  furnished  you,  and  return  with  this  cargo 
direct  to  Boston.  If  it  should  so  happen  that  you  cannot 
procure  dollars  in  the  Mediterranean,  and  you  can  obtain  well- 
indorsed  bills  on  London,  you  may  proceed  to  Lisbon,  and 
<  there  dispose  of  those  bills  for  specie.  In  case  it  should  be 
necessary,  for  the  satisfaction  and  security  of  the  purchasers 
of  your  bills,  to  receive  our  guaranty  of  their  payment,  we 
authorize  you  to  use  the  names  of  the  owners  to  that  effect. 
We  shall  furnish  you  with  a  power  of  attorney,  and  letters 
to  respectable  houses  in  that  place,  to  facilitate  your  opera 
tions.  Vessels  have  obtained  freights,  on  advantageous 
terms,  to  go  from  the  ports  in  the  Mediterranean  to  Lisbon, 
London,  and  other  ports  within  the  Straits ;  which  would  be 
quite  an  object  for  the  vessel,  in  case  you  are  obliged  to  go 
out  of  the  Straits  to  look  for  dollars.  We  should  recommend 


APPENDIX.  291 

your  selling  at  a  good  profit,  whenever  you  may  find  it,  in 
preference  to  going  in  search  of  extravagant  markets,  parti 
cularly  if  specie  can  be  got  in  payment.  You  will  be  able  1: 
to  get  advices  of  the  state  of  the  markets  generally  in  the  I 
Mediterranean  on  your  arrival  at  Malaga.  Selling  at  one  of 
the  first  ports  will  very  much  facilitate  your  voyage,  and 
lessen  expenses.  Those  are  calculations  which  you  must 
make  on  the  spot,  the  ultimate  object  of  your  voyage  being 
the  purchase  of  a  cargo  in  Calcutta ;  and  the  speedy  conver 
sion  of  your  present  lading  into  dollars  must  be  a  governing 
object  in  your  operations. 

Relying  on  your  discretion,  and  having  stated  to  you  the 
general  plan  of  the  voyage,  we  leave  you  to  exercise  your 
judgment  in  its  management ;  not  doubting  that  your  mea 
sures  will  be  taken  for  the  best  interest  of  the  concerned. 
In  case  of  taking  a  freight,  you  will  take  the  earliest  oppor 
tunity  of  communicating  your  destination ;  and  we  beg  you 
to  write  us  as  often  as  you  have  an  opportunity  which  pro 
mises  safety  to  your  letters,  although  it  may  be  circuitous. 
"We  agree  to  allow  you  five  per  cent  upon  the  sales  in  the 
Mediterranean  over  and  above  the  commission  you  will  be 
obliged  to  pay  to  the  merchant  you  may  employ  to  do  your 
business.  This  commission  is  to  be  divided  between  you  as 
follows  :  Three  per  cent,  or  three-fifths,  to  Capt.  H.  Jackson  ; 
and  two  per  cent,  or  two-fifths,  to  Mr.  Tilden.  We  also  allow 
you  five  per  cent  for  laying  out  the  money  arising  from  your 
cargo  and  invested  at  Calcutta,  and  to  be  divided  in  the  same 
proportions.  Capt.  Jackson  is  allowed  five  per  cent  privilege 
in  the  ship,  estimated  upon  what  she  carries  under  deck.  To 
Mr.  Tilden  we  allow  three  tons  privilege.  Should  you  go  as 
far  as  Trieste,  you  will  deliver  the  letters  we  enclose  you  for 
Messrs.  John  &  George  D'Isay  of  that  place;  and  if,  upon 
inquiry,  you  are  satisfied  that  they  can  do  your  business 
upon  as  good  terms  as  any  other  house,  and  that  their  repu 
tation  for  solidity  and  fidelity  is  well  established,  you  wilt 
give  them  the  preference.  For  aiding  you  to  transact  your 


APPENDIX. 

business,  you  will  have  the  names  of  many  houses  at  the 
ports  where  you  may  probably  fall  in ;  of  all  which  you  will 
be  the  best  judges  on  the  spot.  Perhaps  better  information 
can  be  had  of  the  reputation  of  a  house  at  another  port  than 
the  one  of  its  establishment,  where  persons,  from  motives 
of  interest,  are  sometimes  led  to  blast  the  reputation  of  an 
other,  to  enable  them  to  establish  their  own  on  the  ruin  of 
those  they  have  traduced.  You  will  return  quadruplicate 
certificates  for  the  landing  your  present  cargo,  being  particu 
lar  as  to  packages.  You  are  furnished  with  memoranda  for 
a  return  cargo  from  Calcutta,  which  will  preclude  the  neces 
sity  of  our  saying  any  thing  on  the  subject.  We  feel  so  much 
impressed  with  the  idea  that  a  perfect  good  understanding 
will  prevail  between  you,  that  we  think  it  almost  unnecessary 
to  mention  that  mutual  communication  in  every  thing  which 
concerns  the  voyage  is  important.  Mr.  Parsons  is  to  have 
two  tons  privilege.  You  will  avoid  touching  at  Gibraltar, 
that  port  being  blockaded,  but  proceed  direct  to  Malaga. 
Offend  no  law  of  either  of  the  belligerent  powers ;  and  re 
collect  that  it  is  important  strictly  to  observe  a  conduct 
perfectly  neutral,  and  break  no  acts  of  trade. 

It  being  impossible  for  us  to  provide  for  contingent  events, 
we  finally  leave  you  to  exercise  your  discretion  if  it  should 
be  necessary  to  deviate  from  the  letter  of  instruction ;  and, 
wishing  you  success  in  your  operations,  we  are,  in  behalf  of 
the  owners  of  the  ship  "  Thomas  Eussell," 

Yours,  &c. 


BOSTON,  Oct.  16,  1800. 
WEL  EDEL  HERR  SIBURG,  Batavia. 

,  Sir,  —  Since  writing  the  letter  of  the  7th,  of  which  we 
have  the  honor  to  annex  a  copy,  we  have  received  letters 
from  Capt.  Hutchings,  who  informs  us  he  has  some  expecta 
tions  of  going  to  Japan  in  the  service  of  the  Dutch  East- 


APPENDIX.  293 

India  Company.  This  is  very  gratifying  to  us,  as  we  are  in 
hopes,  from  this  intercourse,  to  be  preferred  in  furnishing 
the  annual  ship  to  Japan  from  Batavia.  We  repeat  that  we 
shall  be  ready  to  provide  a  ship  of  such  force  and  capacity 
as  may  be  thought  most  appropriate  to  the  service  for  which 
she  is  wanted.  It  would  be  highly  gratifying  to  us  to  be 
useful  to  you  in  this  country.  We  have  nothing  very  inte 
resting  of  a  political  nature  of  which  to  advise  you.  It  was 
the  general  opinion,  both  in  this  country  and  in  Europe,  that 
a  pacification  would  take  place  in  the  course  of  the  coming 
winter.  From  some  circumstances  which  have  transpired 
from  the  cabinets  of  the  belligerent  powers,  within  a  short 
time,  all  hope  of  peace  has  for  the  present  vanished.  When 
this  much-wished-for  event  will  take  place,  it  is  impossible 
to  calculate  with  any  degree  of  precision. 

We  are,  &c. 


BOSTON,  Oct.  16,  1800. 
Mr.  R.  B.  FOKBES,  New  York. 

Dear  Sir,  —  We  understand  the  United  States  frigate 
"  New  York,"  Capt.  Morris,  is  destined  for  Batavia  ;  and  we 
enclose  letters  which  we  wish  to  have  forwarded  by  that 
ship  to  Capt.  Hutchings,  &c.  It  is  possible  the  frigate  may 
arrive  before  the  "  Massachusetts  "  leaves  Batavia  for  home. 
Hutchings,  we  understand,  took  a  freight  for  Japan.  This 
is  the  report  of  a  captain  who  has  arrived  here  from  Batavia. 
A  letter  from  Hutchings  mentions  his  expectations  of  doing 
this  ;  but,  when  he  wrote,  it  was  not  completed.  He  was  to 
have  $100,000  for  the  run.  We  expect  he  will  not  leave 
Batavia  until  late  in  January,  or  early  in  February.  We  also 
send  you  a  letter  to  Mr.  Peter  Peron,  who  was  landed,  by 
our  brigantine  "  Sally,"  at  the  Island  of  St  Paul's,  which 
lies  in  the  route  to  Batavia,  and  which  island  is  generally 
run  for  by  vessels  bound  to  the  Straits  of  Sunda.  There 


£94  APPENDIX. 

are  eight  men  with  Peron,  and  eight  men  on  the  Island  of 
Amsterdam,  which  lies  about  fifteen  leagues  to  the  south 
ward  of  St.  Paul's ;  so  that  the  object  would  be  answered  if 
the  letter  could  be  put  on  either,  as  we  presume  they  have 
the  means  of  communicating  with  each  other.  Capt.  Hall's 
letters  were  unfortunately  lost ;  so  that  we  are  uncertain  if 
his  return  home  was  originally  intended  when  he  left  the 
islands,  or  whether  it  grew  out  of  circumstances  which  trans 
pired  at  Batavia.  At  any  rate,  it  would  be  highly  gratifying 
to  us  to  let  them  know  our  intention  of  sending  a  vessel  to 
take  them  off.  "We  hear  they  are  well  supplied  with  pro 
visions  for  two  years.  If  it  should  not  be  inconvenient  to 
Capt.  Morris  to  let  his  boat  put  this  letter  on  shore,  as  he 
passes  the  island,  he  would  very  much  oblige  us,  and  serve 
his  countrymen  who  are  in  those  desert  islands  in  a  high 
degree.  It  would  not  detain  his  ship  more  than  a  couple  of 
hours.  Please  to  call  on  him,  with  our  respects,  and  request 
this  favor  of  him.  We  hope  soon  to  hear  of  your  safe  arri 
val  chez  vous.  Our  regards  at  home. 

We  are,  &c. 


BOSTON,  Dec.  4,  1813. 
Messrs.  PERKINS  &  Co.,  Canton. 

Gentlemen,  —  You  will  hear  from  us  particularly  and 
generally  ;  but,  that  nothing  may  escape  us,  we  take  notice 
of  any  thing  that  strikes  us  at  the  moment,  and  make  a 
record  of  it,  that  it  may  not  be  omitted  in  our  general 
letters 

We  shall  not  be  surprised  to  find  the  war  continue  a  year 
or  two  longer.  Much  will  depend  on  European  events.  If 
the  allies  are  successful,  our  rulers  may  be  more  disposed  to 
meet  Great  Britain  upon  terms  that  are  attainable.  A  fast 
ship,  belonging  to  ourselves  and  others,  will  be  with  you. 
You  must  not  keep  her  long  in  port ;  though  it  would  not  be 


APPENDIX.  295 

best  to  buy  her  teas  in  anticipation  of  her  arrival.  We  hope 
you  speculated  in  sea-otter  skins :  none  can  go  down  from 
the  North-west  Coast  to  lower  the  market.  No  vessels  can  I/ 
be  fitted  from  hence.  It  is  said  the  British  have  sent  frigates 
to  the  coast  of  Peru.  If  so,  they  will  go  to  the  islands,  and 
our  vessels  in  that  quarter  will  be  in  danger. 


BOSTON,  Jan.  1,  1814. 
Messrs.  PERKINS  &  Co.,  Canton. 

....  We  shall  send  a  couple  of  fast  schooners  to  Manilla, 
in  all  probability.  We  presume  there  is  no  difficulty  in 
landing  a  cargo  of  teas  there,  to  be  exported,  and  without 
duty.  This  you  must  ascertain  through  some  of  the  Spanish 
residents  at  Canton  or  Macao.  What  would  a  cargo  of  Congo 
tea  cost,  —  say  three  thousand  chests,  which  would  load  the 
"  Levant,"  worth  now,  short  price,  $250,000,  and  cost  say 
$36,000  ?  Coming  round  Cape  Horn,  and  arriving  on  the 
coast  in  winter,  she  would  stand  a  good  chance  of  getting 
in.  We  should  be  willing  to  try  it,  and  hazard  one-half,  if 
Honqua  would  take  the  other 

You  say  a  cargo  laid  in  at  Canton  would  bring  three  for 
one  in  South  America,  and  your  copper  would  give  two 
prices  back.  Thus,  $30,000  laid  out  in  China  would  give 
you  $90,000  in  South  America ;  one-half  of  which,  laid  out 
in  copper,  would  give  one  hundred  per  cent,  or  $90,000 ; 
making  $135,000  for  $30,000. 

60,000  pounds  indigo,  even  at  80  cents $48,000 

120  tons  sugar,  at  $60 7,200 

Fill  up  with  cotton,  or  some  other  light  freight,  say  skin  tea  .     .     20,000 

$75,000 

would  be  worth  here  $400,000,  and  not  employ  the  profits  of 
the  voyage  to  South  America.  Manilla  sugar  is  worth  $400 
to  $500  per  ton  clear  of  duty.  The  ship  should  be  flying 


296  APPENDIX. 

light,  her  bottom  in  good  order,  the  greatest  vigilance  used 
on  the  passage,  and  make  any  port  north  of  New  York. 
Perhaps  those  on  the  eastern  shore  are  easiest  of  access. 
There  would  be  no  very  great  chance  but  in  the  winter. 
We  should  not  be  surprised  if  the  British  send  some  frigates 
to  the  South- American  coast,  as  one  of  our  ships  has  been 
there ;  but  yet  the  danger  cannot  be  very  great  of  going  to 

a  single  port 

In  times  like  these,  the  resources  of  the  head  must  make 
up  for  the  limited  state  of  trade.  We  have  been  fortunate 
in  getting  home  our  property  from  abroad,  except  what  is  in 
Canton ;  and  that  we  think  in  good  hands,  under  your  care. 
We  shall  perhaps  add  to  this.  If  the  Chinese  act  with  ./ 
spirit,  the  supercargoes  will  prevent  capture  above  Macao. 
This  must  be  all-important.  If  not  stopped  at  Macao,  we 
think  we  shall  see  some  other  vessels  along. 


BOSTON,  Jan.  6,  1814. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

Gentlemen,  —  We  have  good  grounds  of  hope  that  the 
present  year  will  restore  this  country  to  a  state  of  peace. 
Teas  have  risen  to  enormous  prices,  but  are  now  declining. 
We  hope  that  you  may  have  bought  a  few  thousand  chests, 
for  the  European  market,  when  they  were  low 

Teas  will  rise  with  you  immediately  after  a  knowledge 
of  peace  takes  place.  Many  voyages  will  be  undertaken 
after  the  war,  and  the  country  will  be  again  flooded  with 
teas 

Although  we  believe  in  peace,  that  event  is  not  certain. 
A  light  load  of  Congo  and  Hyson  teas  would  bear  a  war- 
risk,  and  would  do  well  in  peace.  If  Honqua  would  load 
half  the  ship  with  a  cargo  purposely  for  the  European 
market,  —  say  black  teas  of  two  or  three  years  old,  and 
bought  low,  —  and  you  can  see  your  way  clear  out  of  the 


APPENDIX.  £97 

river,  and  in  a  good  sailing  vessel,  —  say  the  "  Levant,"  — 
letting  her  go  by  way  of  Cape  Horn,  and  calculate  to  reach 
the  coast  in  December  or  January,  making  the  first  port  on 
our  eastern  coast,  our  belief  is  that  the  ship  will  find  us  at 
peace  ;  and,  if  not,  prices  will  be  so  high  as  to  warrant  the 

operation 

The  North  of  Europe  will  be  bare  of  teas ;  and  the  first 
vessel  which  may  arrive  there  after  peace,  and  with  only 
peace  charges  on  her,  will  make  a  brilliant  voyage.  In  all 
cases,  they  should  call  here  for  orders.  Mr.  Williams  will 
write  you  what  to  expect 


BOSTON,  Jan.  12,  1814. 

To    THE    SAME. 

We  have  already  written  you  by  this  conveyance ;  since 
which,  circumstances  have  arisen  which  authorize  an  expec 
tation  that  peace  between  this  country  and  Great  Britain  will 
certainly  take  place  in  the  course  of  the  present  year.  Your 
calculations,  therefore,  may  be  made,  with  a  great  degree  of 
certainty  of  their  being  realized  upon  a  basis  of  an  uninter 
rupted  trade. 


BOSTON,  July  15,  1814. 

TO    THE    SAME. 

....  The  power  of  France  in  Europe  has  been  nearly 
overthrown.  Her  armies  have  been  driven  before  the  allied 
powers,  and  forced  to  recross  the  Rhine.  All  Germany  is 
already,  or  soon  will  be,  in  league  against  her.  The  Hanse 
towns  and  Holland  will  no  doubt  be  relieved  from  their 
shackles ;  and  it  is  confidently  hoped  and  believed  that  the 
balance  of  power  in  Europe  will  again  be  restored.  A  mes 
senger  has  recently  arrived  in  this  country,  offering,  in  the 
name  of  the  Prince  Regent,  propositions  for  concluding  a 

38 


298  APPENDIX. 

peace  between  this  country  and  Great  Britain.  Under  all 
circumstances,  we  regard  it  as  a  thing  beyond  a  doubt  that 
an  adjustment  of  differences  must  follow.  The  President 
has  accepted  the  overture  ;  and  ministers  will  immediately  be 
named  to  treat  at  Gottenburg. 

A  final  settlement,  such  as  will  enable  us  to  navigate  in 
safety,  may  be  protracted,  by  the  diplomatic  habits  of  our 
Government,  to  the  ensuing  autumn.  It  may  be  concluded 
sooner.  All  will  depend  on  the  complete  prostration  of 
Bonaparte.  God  grant  that  this  obstacle  may  not  long  in 
tervene  !  How  far  we  shall,  in  time  of  peace,  be  permitted 
to  pursue  our  former  commerce,  is  a  question  difficult  to 
decide.  Great  Britain  has  neither  affection  nor  respect  for 
us.  Her  interest  will  guide  in  relation  to  her  future  stipu 
lations.  "When  she  can,  consistently  with  her  own  rights, 
restrict  us,  she  will  naturally  do  so 

The  duties  on  all  merchandise  were  doubled  on  the  break 
ing  out  of  the  war,  and  are  to  be  continued  so  until  twelve 
months  after  a  peace  with  Great  Britain.  Of  course,  Hyson 
tea  pays  64  cents  per  pound ;  Young  Hyson  Skin,  40  cents ; 
Souchong,  Campoi,  and  Congo,  24  cents.  The  ship  "  Sally  " 
arrived  safely  in  our  bay  without  knowing  of  the  war.  Two 
British  frigates  were  off  this  harbor.  She  received  advice 
from  a  fishing-boat,  and  ran  into  Plymouth.  The  cargo  was 
all  brought  by  land  to  Boston 


BOSTON,  May  6,  1814. 

To    THE    SAME. 

....  Since  the  sailing  of  these  vessels  (19th  January), 
the  events  which  we  had  anticipated  have  been  gradually 
developing.  Ministers  were  appointed  to  treat  with  Great 
Britain  at  Gottenburg.  They  sailed  from  New  York  towards 
the  end  of  February,  furnished,  as  we  are  taught  to  believe, 
with  full  power  to  conclude  a  peace  with  that  power.  No 


APPENDIX.  299 

advice  of  their  arrival  has  yet  reached  us.  If  there  existed 
strong  inducements,  when  we  last  wrote  you,  to  put  an  end 
to  this  ruinous  war,  there  are  now  more  urgent  reasons  for 
its  termination,  foreign  as  well  as  domestic.  The  allied 
powers  have  been  extending  and  uniting  their  forces.  Hol 
land  is  in  possession  of  the  Dutch.  Denmark  has  thrown 
off  the  manacles  of  France,  and  formed  a  treaty  with  Great 
Britain,  and  has  joined  in  the  war  against  her  former  tyrant. 
All  Germany,  and  the  other  Northern  powers,  are  now  pour 
ing  their  armies  into  the  heart  of  France.  Two  hundred  and 
fifty  thousand  men,  under  the  most  able  generals,  were 
opposing  the  remains  of  the  French  forces,  at  the  last  dates 
(say  1st  March),  within  forty  miles  of  Paris 


[The  same  letter.]  May  14. 

....  "We  learnj  since  we  began  this  letter,  that  the  allies 
are  in  possession  of  Paris.  Bourdeaux  is  in  the  hands  of 
Lord  Wellington ;  and  the  white  flag  is  now  flying  in  that 
part  of  France.  The  Duke  of  Angouleme  is  with  Lord 
Wellington,  and  is  well  received  by  the  French,  who  ac 
knowledge  their  joy  on  the  occasion.  Mr.  Ammidon  will 
give  you  the  particulars.  A  peace  must  soon  follow  these 
events,  both  in  Europe  and  in  this  country 


BOSTON,  Nov.  17,  1814. 

To    THE    SAME. 

....  We  hear  that  the  "  Jacob  Jones  "  went  safely  into 
Canton,  and  presume  she  may  be  despatched  before  the  river 
is  blockaded.  In  such  case,  she  ought  to  be  here  at  the  time 
appointed,  unless  captured.  Our  coast  is  closely  invested, 
and  the  hazard  of  getting  in  very  imminent.  Some  insur- 


300  APPENDIX. 

ance  has  been  done  on  her,  owing  to  her  being  a  war-built 
vessel,  and  having  the  reputation  of  a  swift  sailer,  at 
fifty  per  cent;  but  very  little  can  be  had.  We  have 
only  $8,000  written  at  present,  and  fear  we  shall  not  be 
able  to  effect  more,  by  safe  men,  even  at  that.  Vessels 
built  before  the  war  cannot  be  insured  at  seventy-five  per 
cent,  which  premium  has  been  given  on  prizes  taken  near 
this  coast  and  ordered  in.  Owing  to  the  decline  of  public 
credit  consequent  on  a  continuance  of  the  war,  and  the 
many  failures  which  have  taken  place,  it  is  extremely  diffi 
cult  to  effect  sales  of  any  sort,  except  for  immediate  con 
sumption  ;  and  those  are  made  only  for  cash,  no  one  being 
inclined  to  sell  on  credit  at  this  critical  juncture.  Under 
these  circumstances,  we  can  ill  afford  to  pay  a  high  premium 
and  double  duties. 

We  are  yet  unable  to  say  when  you  may  look  for  a  termi 
nation  of  the  war.  Our  negotiations  at  Ghent  have  been 
suspended ;  but  reports  say  they  are  again  renewed.  It  is 
possible  that  peace  may  take  place  in  the  spring,  but  not 
probable,  unless  the  embarrassments  and  ruined  credit  of 
our  Government  shall  oblige  them  to  aceept  the  terms  Great 
Britain  may  offer.  Mr.  Williams  will  be  able  to  give  you 
better  data  than  we  can,  on  this  side  the  Atlantic,  to  judge 
the  result  that  may  follow.  Europe  is  still  in  a  state  of  agi 
tation  ;  and  a  war  between  France  and  Great  Britain  may  be 
renewed.  Public  funds  here  (six  per  cent)  are  down  to 
sixty-five,  and  growing  worse.  Nothing  but  peace  can 
prevent  an  utter  downfall  of  governmental  credit  and 
means 

We  have  no  expectation  that  the  duties  will  be  reduced 
for  several  years,  if  at  all.  Keep  the  "  Levant "  safe  in  port 
till  you  hear  of  peace.  Then  she  may  do  well  with  black 
teas  for  European  markets. 


APPENDIX.  301 


Feb.  14,  1815. 
To    THE    SAME. 

Yesterday,  an  express  arrived,  saying  that  peace  was  con 
cluded  between  the  commissioners  at  Ghent  and  the  British 
Government  on  the  26th  December  last,  and  that  the  treaty 
had  arrived  at  New  York  by  a  special  messenger,  and  was 
sent  immediately  to  Washington,  accompanied  by  a  British 
diplomatic  character.  All  this  is  true.  It  is  now  probably 
before  the  Government,  and  will  no  doubt  be  ratified  in  a  few 
days.  The  terms  we  know  nothing  of,  —  probably  the  re 
storation  of  all  territorial  acquisitions  on  both  sides  ;  the  same 
state  in  which  our  relations  stood  before  the  war  ;  with  some 
new  stipulations  respecting  the  security  of  the  frontiers 

Before  this  vessel  sails  (the  schooner  from  Philadelphia), 
we  presume  peace  will  be  proclaimed.  Our  T.  H.  P.  is  now 
at  "Washington,  as  one  of  the  commissioners  sent  by  this 
State  to  treat  with  the  General  Government  respecting  its 
affairs.  He  will  no  doubt  write  you 


March  19,  1815. 
To    THE    SAME. 

....  It  has  been  remarked  that  the  return  of  peace 
generally  brings  with  it  more  mercantile  embarrassments 
than  the  first  year  of  a  war ;  and  the  reason  is  obvious. 
Having  been  long  restrained  from  their  accustomed  trade,  all 
classes  of  men  are  led  into  speculations  without  calculating 
the  result,  hoping  that  chance  may  enable  them  to  retrieve 
lost  time.  This  will  be  the  case  now  ;  and  you  must  expect 
to  see  evidence  of  it  in  the  adventures  you  will  see  in  China. 


302  APPENDIX. 


BOSTON,  June  7,  1815. 

To    THE    SAME. 

Gentlemen,  —  Letters  are  received  in  town  from  Holland, 
stating  that  teas  are  interdicted  in  that  country,  unless  under 
the  authority  of  a  newly  established  company,  which  has 
extended  to  it  the  special  privilege  of  exclusive  trade  to 
China. 

We  have  no  letters  so  late  as  those  in  question,  which  are 
dated  10th  April.  This  arrangement  must  have  been  made 
under  the  expectation  that  Europe  was  to  remain  in  peace, 
and  incipient  measures  taken  before  the  bold  steps  of  Napo 
leon  were  known.  Upon  the  issue  of  the  struggle,  which 
has  ere  this  begun,  to  put  down  the  power  of  this  extraordi 
nary  man,  will  depend  the  mercantile  arrangements  of  France, 
Holland,  Sweden,  &c.  So  long  as  they  are  at  issue  with 
Trance,  the  Northern  powers  will  be  very  wary,  and  not  put 
their  property  on  the  ocean,  lest  some  of  them  should  again 
be  compelled  to  wear  the  tri-colored  cockade,  and  be  forced 
into  a  war  with  Great  Britain.  It  is  our  opinion  that  such 
will  not  be  the  issue  of  the  contest.  If  Russia,  Austria,  and 
Prussia  act  with  good  faith  to  each  other,  and  Great  Britain 
enters  heartily  into  the  plan  of  putting  down  the  dynasty  of 
Bonaparte,  though  much  blood  would  be  spilt,  yet  the  allies 
will  eventually  succeed.  Were  there  any  reliance  to  be 
placed  on  the  promises  of  Bonaparte,  it  is  probable  the 
Bourbons  would  be  left  to  mourn  the  loss  of  the  throne,  and 
the  power  of  Napoleon  would  be  left  undisturbed :  but,  from 
past  experience,  no  reliance  can  be  placed  on  him ;  and  he 
would  only  remain  at  peace  to  enable  himself  more  effectu 
ally  to  carry  on  a  war  of  conquest  and  ambition.  It  may 
take  some  time  to  effect  the  destruction  of  the  French  power 
under  the  new  order  of  things ;  and,  so  long  as  the  struggle 
continues,  so  long  will  commercial  regulations  be  unstable 
on  the  continent.  , 


APPENDIX.  303 


BOSTON,  July  10,  1815. 

To    THE    SAME. 

....  You  will  be  surprised  to  find  that  we  have  no 
advice  of  hostilities  in  France.  Reports  up  to  the  1st  June 
say  the  "  dreadful  note  of  preparation  "  is  not  yet  complete, 
but  that  an  early,  if  not  an  immediate,  conflict  must  take 
place,  —  a  conflict  which  must  exterminate  the  power  of 
Bonaparte,  or  degrade  all  Europe.  We  conceive  his  fate 
almost  certain.  If  he  moves,  he  will  draw  on  him  the  united 
forces  of  Great  Britain  and  the  Continental  powers.  At  any 
rate,  they  will  not  suffer  him  to  reign.  For  their  own  future 
safety,  they  must  annihilate  his  power.  We  have  been  long 
without  letters  from  England.  Many  vessels  are  hourly 
expected,  which  will  probably  give  us  important  informa 
tion.  .  . 


BOSTON,  Aug.  19,  1815. 

To    THE    SAME. 

....  The  last  accounts  from  Europe  give  us  the  strongest 
grounds  of  hope  that  there  will  be  long  peace  on  the  other 
side  the  water,  and  on  this  side  of  course.  Napoleon  having 
been  annihilated,  root  and  branch,  we  think  there  will  be  no 
more  war  between  France  and  the  other  hostile  powers  ; 
though  it  seems  highly  probable  that  they  may  have  some 
domestic  throat-cutting.  If  we  are  correct  in  our  conjecture, 
and  the  Continental  powers  should  feel  such  security  in  their 
situation  as  to  induce  their  people  to  enter  extensively  into 
manufactures,  they  may  reduce  the  benefit  on  China  silks. 
Yet  there  is  such  an  advantage  on  the  part  of  China,  from 
the  low  price  of  raw  silk,  and  even  from  the  price  of  labor, 
that  we  do  not  think  that  either  the  Italians  or  French  can 
come  in  competition  with  the  Chinese  in  those  manufac 
tures. 


304  APPENDIX. 


Oct.  4,  1815. 
To   THE   SAME. 

....  It  seems  that  the  price  of  raw  silk,  and  the  diminu 
tion  of  working  hands,  both  in  France  and  Italy,  have  made 
a  very  considerable  rise  in  the  article  of  silk  manufactures, 
which  must  continue  for  some  time,  until  the  raising  of  silk 
worms  can  be  increased,  and  workmen  be  taught  the  busi 
ness.  Even  at  the  high  price  of  silks  in  France  and  Italy, 
they  would  bring  two  for  one  in  this  market.  Three  years 
of  war,  and  twice  that  number  of  restriction  upon  commerce, 
had  made  our  people  very  rigidly  economical;  and  they 
bought  only  what  was  necessary,  not  what  was  luxurious. 
In  place  of  a  silk  gown  or  pelisse,  they  purchased  cotton  for 
the  first,  and  dispensed  with  the  last  altogether.  So  with 
tea.  Although  they  did  not  wholly  forego  it,  they  were 
careful  in  the  use  of  it ;  and  now,  to  make  up  for  lost  time, 
they  feel  as  if  they  may  indulge  in  the  fashions  of  the  city, 
and  gratify  their  palates  with  the  beverage  of  the  East.  This 
being  the  case,  it  will  take  a  long  time  to  overstock  the  mar 
ket  with  silks ;  though,  from  the  quantity  of  teas  on  hand 
when  the  war  began,  the  importations  since,  and  the  economy 
spoken  of  in  the  use  of  it  during  the  war,  we  think  the  spring 
ships  will  cause  a  great  fall  of  it  in  the  market.  2J  V  .  . 


THE    END. 


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